Kevin Hart is taking his talents to Netflix. The comedian-turned-actor-turned-producer forged a first-look film production deal with the streamer for his HartBeat Production banner. Kicking off the nascent pact, Hart is producing and starring in four new movies that will play exclusively on Netflix. “Partnering with Netflix is an amazing opportunity for HartBeat and myself,”
Contact Film, a well-established Dutch distribution company specializing in arthouse films, is preparing to fold after a 30-year run, Variety has confirmed. The company, whose past releases include the Oscar-nominated documentary “Honeyland” and Oliver Laxe’s Cannes prize-winning “Fire Will Come,” has ceased acquiring films, said founder and CEO Gérard Huisman, who is retiring this year.
Here we go again. Late last year, Warner Bros. was skewered after announcing that all of its new movies in 2021 would debut simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters. Cinema operators, rival studios and even some of the filmmakers behind the movies wondered aloud why, with the prospect of coronavirus vaccines looming, Warner Bros.
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Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, said he believes concert venues and theaters could reopen “some time in the fall of 2021,” depending on the effectiveness of the vaccination rollout, and with the caveat that audiences may be wearing masks and practicing social-distancing for suggested that audiences may
Ann Le Cam, a former Disney Animation executive, has joined Weta Digital as senior VP of global talent and animation production. She will be based in Weta Digital’s Los Angeles offices and will report to CEO Prem Akkaraju. “Weta is a company where quality, risk-taking and innovation are key and it is such an exciting
Since its founding in 2006, CBS Entertainment’s first-run distribution division has been known as CBS Television Distribution. But starting today, in an attempt to fuse with an evolved media landscape and CBS’ brand strategy to-date, the syndication company has been rebranded to CBS Media Ventures. With a new name comes a new brand identity, which
British star and producer Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and BAFTA-nominated producer Kris Thykier’s Archery Pictures are entering a multi-year joint venture to work together on select future film and TV projects. Thykier was BAFTA-nominated for “The State” and “Trash.” Archery recently completed production on fantasy series “Fate: The Winx Saga” for Netflix, the third
After more than a year off, VH1 has set the return of “Basketball Wives”: the ninth season will premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., Variety has learned exclusively. The fan-favorite VH1 reality series will see its cast members’ sisterhood tested like never before as they adjust to life amid the COVID-19 pandemic and
Netflix has ordered a series adaptation of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Variety has learned. The series was originally set up at CBS before moving to the streamer. CBS had given the series a significant production commitment during last year’s pilot season, but the network pulled the plug on the project in May. This new iteration will still
Joel Katz, one of the music industry’s most powerful attorneys and founding chairman of the Greenberg Traurig’s entertainment and media wing, has resigned “by mutual understanding” from the firm. A rep for the firm declined requests for further information; sources tell Variety the move has been in the works for some time and Katz is
As SAG Awards voting begins today, the acting races are still evolving. To showcase Sophia Loren’s return to performing, Netflix released a new featurette for Edoardo Ponti’s “The Life Ahead,” starring his Academy Award-winning mother. The featurette highlights the relationship between Ponti’s sensitive and compelling direction and how Loren brought Madame Rosa’s toughness and fragility
Range Media Partners has signed Mari Copeny, a 13-year-old activist and philanthropist, also known as “Little Miss Flint.” Copeny first gained national attention in 2016 when she wrote a letter to then-President Obama asking him to visit Flint, Mich., which was published in the Los Angeles Times. The letter sparked a dialogue around the water
Disney’s Hulu is courting the collegiate crowd with a new offer: The streamer has rolled out a special reduced-rate plan for U.S. college students, priced at $1.99 per month. Starting Monday (Jan. 11), eligible students over the age of 18 can sign up for the deal and watch Hulu’s full streaming library of movies and
Discovery continued to expand its footprint in Italy in 2020, and has cracked the country’s top three networks. The media giant’s linear channels last year commanded an almost 8% average audience share, up 4% compared with 2019, bolstering its standing as the country’s third free-TV player after state broadcaster RAI and private network Mediaset. Year-end
As the U.K. advises stricter measures to control the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, film and TV production won’t be affected. There aren’t currently any plans to shut down production, Variety has confirmed with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the government body that deals with the entertainment industry. “The next
When “The Umbrella Academy” returns for its 10-episode third season, it will finally flesh out who the members of the Sparrow Academy are. Justin Cornwell, Britne Oldford, Jake Epstein, Genesis Rodriguez and Cazzie David have joined the cast of the Netflix original, while Justin H. Min is set to return. At the end of the
A limited series about the infamous punk band the Sex Pistols has been ordered at FX, Variety has learned. The six-episode series is based on Steve Jones’ 2018 memoir “Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.” Academy Award winner Danny Boyle will direct and executive produce the series, which hails from writers and fellow executive producers
Stephen A. Smith sees a chance to move to cool conversation after years of playing up hot talk. The popular ESPN host is best known for making the emotional, vibrant views on games, athletes and coaches that draw audiences each weekday to the Walt Disney sports-media giant’s “First Take.” Starting this week, he hopes to
Jake Tapper, the Washington-based correspondent for CNN, will likely get a new spotlight at the network after it said it would expand his weekday program to two hours and make him the lead anchor for all Washington events. The move is part of a broader shakeup of the cable-news outlet’s Washington coverage, which has taken
On Friday, Marvel Studios embarks on its biggest gamble since the debut of “The Avengers” in 2012 with the premiere of its first TV series for Disney Plus, “WandaVision.” While other Marvel divisions have ventured into series that are nominally part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — like ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and Netflix’s “Daredevil”
Shawna Thomas, a veteran of upstart journalism efforts like Vice and Quibi as well as mainstays like NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” will take the reins of “CBS This Morning,” filling a role that has been empty for months. Thomas has logged hours working as a Capitol Hill producer and also covering President Barack Obama.
New York Music Month has become a city institution over the past four years, but for its 2021 iteration, New York Music Months would be a more appropriate title: The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) announces that this year, the series will become “New York Music Month Extended Play,” a six-month virtual edition of the
UPDATED: Shares of Twitter took a nosedive in early trading Monday, coming after the social network permanently banned Donald Trump — its highest-profile user — prompting worries that would hurt user and revenue growth. Twitter’s stock dropped as much as 12% at the market open Jan. 11, before recovering some lost ground to around -8%
“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” a comedy from the duo behind “Bridesmaids,” is forgoing its planned theatrical debut and will premiere on premium video-on-demand platforms next month. The Lionsgate film — starring Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo — will be available to rent for a premium price starting Feb. 12. It was
Ryan Tedder — one of the most business-savvy songwriters in the music industry, with songs written with Beyonce, Adele, U2, Paul McCartney, his own group OneRepublic and many more — has sold a majority stake of his music catalog to investment firm KKR, the company announced Monday morning. Following the acquisition, Tedder will retain an
You know that saying about how anything Fred Astaire did, Ginger Rogers did backward and in high heels? It comes to mind as Jodie Turner-Smith recounts filming the action movie Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse while in her second trimester of pregnancy—something her costars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell were quite assuredly not dealing with.
Disney/Pixar’s “Soul” has now outperformed “Wonder Woman 1984” in China by more than $10 million despite debuting a week later than the latter. By the end of its third weekend in local cinemas, “Soul” had grossed $36.1 million, according to data from the Maoyan platform — far more than the Warner Brothers title’s China earnings
Karla Souza, co-star of “How to Get Away With Murder” and star of two of the three highest-grossing Mexican films of all time – “¿Qué Culpa Tiene el Niño?” and “Nosotros los Nobles” – is bringing her marquee clout to “La Hiedra” (“The Ivy”), the third feature from on-the-rise Ecuatorian writer-director Ana Cristina Barragán. Now
UniFrance, the organization in charge of promoting French cinema worldwide, is set to showcase nearly 70 completed movies, including 30 market premieres, at the virtual 23rd edition of its Rendez-Vous With French Cinema (Jan. 13-15), a key market for the export of French movies. The Rendez-Vous will kick off with Eric Besnard’s 18th-century-set drama “Delicieux”