Poppy Liu has joined the cast of “Dead Ringers” at Amazon, Variety has learned. She joins previously announced series lead Rachel Weisz and recently announced cast member Michael Chernus. The series was announced at the streaming service in August 2020 with a straight-to-series order. It is a modern update of the 1988 David Cronenberg film of
Is there anything more romantic than a yacht in New York City’s harbor, illuminated by the yellow-orange of the setting sun and backdropped by the Statue of Liberty, a mirage in the distance? What about if the sunset-drenched yacht was filled with Amazon Studios producers and television stars, relieved that their show, about love and
Marcia Nasatir, a trailblazing female executive and producer who elbowed her way into a male-dominated Hollywood, shattering conventions and an important glass ceiling in the process, died on Tuesday morning. She was 95. In a career of firsts, Nasatir worked for United Artists, Orion Pictures and Carson Productions, while producing the likes of “The Big
Nicholas Hoult is set to star in Universal’s “Renfield,” a monster movie centering on Dracula’s notorious lackey. Chris McKay, the filmmaker behind “The Tomorrow War” and “The Lego Batman Movie,” is directing and producing “Renfield,” which serves as an origin story for Dracula’s unhinged henchman. Based on an original script by Robert Kirkman, the screenplay
Craig D’Souza (pictured) has joined WME as a partner, music co-heads Lucy Dickins, Kirk Sommer and Scott Clayton announced today. The UK-based D’Souza arrives from Primary Talent International, where he was an agent for 11 years. D’Souza is credited with building Stormzy as a live act, from club shows in 2015 through to a sold-out
“American Idol” judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as host Ryan Seacrest, have all signed on to return for the show’s landmark 20th season, which also marks its fifth on ABC. The network announced on Tuesday that all four will be back when “American Idol” returns in spring 2022. Seacrest has
Showtime has released a trailer for “Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury of Rick James,” a new documentary directed by Emmy-nominee and hip-hop journalist Sacha Jenkins (“Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men”). Judging by the trailer the doc aims to present an accurate look at one of the most controversial and confrontational figures in the history of R&B
Kerry Bishé has joined the Showtime anthology series “Super Pumped,” the first season of which will tackle the rise of ride sharing company Uber. Bishé joins previously announced cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kyle Chandler. Gordon-Levitt will star as Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick, while Chandler will play Texas venture capitalist Bill Gurley. Bishé
After more than five years, FandangoNow is going away. Fandango, NBCUniversal’s movie-ticketing and home entertainment division, has merged FandangoNow with Vudu, the movie and TV rental and electronic sell-through service it bought from Wal-Mart last year. Starting Tuesday, the newly updated Vudu will replace FandangoNow as the official movie and TV store on Roku. Vudu
Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers” has been tapped as the closing night selection of the 59th New York Film Festival. The melodrama, which reunites the Spanish auteur with one of his greatest cinematic muses, Penélope Cruz, will make its North American premiere October 8 at Alice Tully Hall. “Parallel Mothers” is making its world debut as
London-based world film sales and production company Taskovski Films has picked up Karol Palka’s feature-length documentary “Bucolic,” which plays in the Critics’ Week section of the Locarno Film Festival. The Polish film is described as “a parable about people living in a different way, an affectionate observation that invites curiosity about their world and a
In the first trailer for “Cinderella,” the latest retelling of the classic fairytale, Camila Cabello’s princess isn’t searching for Prince Charming. No, the young woman, who glamorized the glass slipper, dreams of building her own fashion empire. The upcoming movie, which debuts on Amazon Prime Video in September, gives a modern spin on the familiar
Tony Hawk, the skateboarding superstar whose name has become virtually synonymous with the now-Olympic sport, will be the subject of a major forthcoming feature documentary, Variety can reveal. The as-yet-untitled film will focus on the life and career of the 53-year-old ‘Birdman,’ and is being directed by filmmaker-photographer Sam Jones (“I Am Trying to Break
Vienna-based sales outfit Square Eyes has acquired Saeed Taji Farouky’s “A Thousand Fires,” which will open the Locarno Film Festival’s Critics’ Week section. Set in the Magway region of Myanmar, which is home to one of the oldest oil industries in the world, “A Thousand Fires” is a portrait of a family in flux and
DaBaby has been dropped from two more music festivals, despite issuing a second apology on Monday for homophobic comments he made at and after his performance at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on the weekend of July 23. Reps for the iHeartRadio Music Festival and Austin City Limits confirmed that he will no longer be
Def Jam Forward, the Universal Music-owned label’s task force formed in the wake of Blackout Tuesday and the Black Lives Matter movement last Spring, has posted a report on its progress over the past year. According to its statements, the task force “is committed to fostering a community that values, promotes and demands respect, freedom,
Crunchyroll is developing “Dark Star Squadron,” a space-opera anime series, in partnership with Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures production shingle. Crunchyroll also announced that it now has more than 5 million paying subscribers and more than 120 million registered users worldwide. AT&T’s $1.2 billion deal to sell Crunchyroll to Sony Pictures — which owns Crunchyroll competitor
Starting this month, YouTubers in select countries can vie for a piece of the $100 million YouTube Shorts Fund — if their creations rise to the top of the heap of the most-viral clips. Every month, YouTube says, it will select thousands of eligible creators to claim a payment from the fund, which marks the
Independent digital news platform Initium Media announced on Tuesday that it will quit Hong Kong and relocate its headquarters to Singapore. The same day, veteran journalist Steve Vines and contemporary artist Kacey Wong also announced their departure from Hong Kong. Vines has arrived in the U.K. Wong has moved to Taiwan. All pointed to reduced
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment allegations from 11 women after Tuesday’s investigation from the state Attorney General was released. Gov. Cuomo spoke at a press conference Tuesday afternoon after Attorney General Letitia James’ months-long investigation found that he sexually harassed multiple women, retaliated against an accuser and fostered a toxic
As Tony Bennett celebrates his 95th birthday, and he and Lady Gaga prepare for a two-night stand at Radio City Music Hall beginning tonight, reps for the singer and Lady Gaga have revealed the title, concept and track list for their second collaborative album, “Love for Sale,” a Cole Porter tribute. The Oct. 1 release
Documentary filmmaker Peter Kunhardt began working on HBO’s “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” in 2014, while the former president was still in the White House. The director-exec producer and Jelani Cobb, a writer for the New Yorker and exec producer on this three-part docuseries, spent four years researching and discovering rare and
The team behind the blockbuster Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” are now taking their jam to space. Netflix has picked up “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space,” from producer Connor Schell and director Jason Hehir, which will chronicle this September’s SpaceX Dragon mission Inspiration4, in which four civilians will travel into space on a three-day
SALES Dori Media Group (DMG) has sold Israeli drama “Normal” to WarnerMedia in Latin America, where the series will be available on HBO Max. the series premiered in November of last year on Israel’s HOT, pulling strong reviews and ratings, finishing the year as one of the broadcasters top three most-watched dramas. Based on the
CAA has signed Academy Award nominee and Emmy-nominated “Indian Matchmaking” creator Smriti Mundhra for representation in all areas. Mundhra created and executive produced the Netflix original series, which is nominated for an Emmy award for outstanding unstructured reality program. “Indian Matchmaking” offered an inside look at the custom of matchmaking in Indian cultures through a
Facebook will host its first paid film premiere later this month: “The Outsider,” a documentary about the challenges and controversies involved in building the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan, will screen exclusively on the platform on Aug. 19. But for now, the one-off screening of “The Outsider” — to be available on
More than a year after HBO Max debuted, LG Electronics USA and WarnerMedia reached a deal to distribute the HBO Max app on recent-model LG smart TVs in the U.S. The arrival of HBO Max on LG smart TVs in the States comes after the streaming service went live on certain models of LG internet-connected
New York City will require proof of vaccination for people going to indoor activities like restaurants, gym and performances, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The program will launch August 16 and will be enforced beginning September 13. The policy is one of the first of its kind in the United States; other large cities,
Warner Music Group posted $1.34 billion in revenue for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, the company announced on Tuesday, with a 32.7% year-over-year revenue boost and a 33% jump in streaming. The company saw a 33.8% growth in recorded-music revenues over the same, pandemic-struck quarter last year, up to $1.15 billion from $861
Apple TV Plus released a trailer for the second season of its anthological drama series “Truth Be Told,” premiering on Aug. 20. “Truth Be Told” stars Octavia Spencer, who also executive produces, as true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell. In the first season of the NAACP Image award-winning series, Poppy reexamines the cast of a convicted murderer