The new owner of People magazine plans to adapt the entertainment and human interest magazine into a daily TV series set to launch in the fall on the company’s TV stations. Meredith Corp., which acquired People through its Time Inc. purchase in early 2018, has tapped “Access Hollywood” veteran Rob Silverstein to lead the half-hour
Los Angeles-based entities Legendary Global and Library Pictures have joined forces to co-finance and produce two seasons of an untitled, Hindi-language series Vikramaditya Motwane. The pair did not reveal either a title or a log-line for the series. They described it only as a Hindi-language YA dark comedy-drama series to be sold in India. The series
Two years after leaving top U.K. indie Big Talk, “Baby Driver” producer Nira Park and director Edgar Wright have teamed with two of their long-term collaborators, writer-director Joe Cornish and producer Rachael Prior, to launch new production company Complete Fiction. Based in both London and Los Angeles, the new company will operate across film and
British author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman has apologized after being reprimanded by Scottish police for traveling from New Zealand to the Scottish island of Skye — a journey that has rattled residents of the 10,000-strong community who have been trying to self-isolate. Police Scotland confirmed to Variety that the “American Gods” author had been approached
Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has taken to social media to rail against long-ago partner David Gilmour for considering him “irrelevant” and “banning” him from the group’s website and social media, complaining that his solo projects are not allowed to come up for mention while those of Gilmour’s wife are promoted. In a video
The U.K.’s Royal Television Society will move its biennial London conference online this year as it looks to mitigate concerns around coronavirus. In partnership with YouTube, the conference — which was due to kick off around Sept. 15 — will stream a number of key sessions for free online around that time. The sessions, which
Amazon Prime has picked up U.S. rights to two-part documentary “Cuba: The Revolution and the World,” produced by the U.K.’s Brook Lapping and France’s Temps Noir. The U.S. deal is one of a swathe of global sales for the BBC and Arte France-commissioned history of Cuba’s revolution, which is being repped by Arte Distribution. National
“His Dark Materials” writer Jack Thorne has partnered with actor-turned-writer Genevieve Barr to create a factual drama for BBC Two based on the true story about the campaign for disabled civil rights in Britain. With a working title of “Independence Day? How Disabled Rights Were Won,” the 60-minute film centres on the people behind a
Marvel fans shouldn’t expect to see a new “Deadpool” movie for at least five years, according to the character’s comic book creator Rob Liefeld. In an interview with io9, Liefeld explained that he’s seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule for the next five years, and “Deadpool 3” isn’t on the docket. “Until a movie is
Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor have agreed to write the script for Reese Witherspoon’s “Legally Blonde 3” for MGM. Witherspoon committed to the project in 2018 and is set to return as Elle Woods, the sorority-girl-turned-lawyer. She will also produce through her Hello Sunshine production company. “Legally Blonde” producer Marc Platt will return, joined by
Netflix has fired back at former New York prosecutor Linda Fairstein, defending its villainous depiction of her in “When They See Us.” Fairstein filed a defamation lawsuit against the Netflix and director Ava DuVernay in March, alleging that she was portrayed in “When They See Us” as a racist prosecutor hellbent on locking up innocent
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the finale of “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart.” The contestants of “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart” traveled to their final destination during Monday night’s finale. Chris Watson and Bri Strauss, Trevor Holmes and Jamie Gabrielle, and Matt Ranaudo and Rudi arrived in
Covenant House held a star-studded fundraiser on Monday night to help continue its lifesaving work with homeless youth. Hosted by Tony-winner Audra McDonald and CBS News’ John Dickerson, “A Night of Covenant House Stars” was a virtual stand-in for the organization’s annual spring gala in New York City. “We’ve all been destabilized by COVD-19, and
Manufactured YouTube plays versus conjured single sales? Those are the dramatic slurs at play in a chart battle between Ariana Grande and rapper 6ix9ine, as the latter returns to recording after a 17-month stint in prison. “Stuck With You,” Grande’s duet with Justin Bieber, which benefits First Responders Children’s Foundation, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s
President Donald Trump has blasted plans by Los Angeles County’s leaders to extend stay-at-home orders for three months, calling the the move “a death wish.” Trump made the remarks Monday during a business roundtable of restaurant executives at the White House. He responded to comments by California restaurateur Thomas Keller, who said he had heard
CNN and MSNBC compete tooth-and-nail with Fox News Channel every day of the week. But a trade association that counts their parent companies as members wants to help their rival defend itself in an eyebrow-raising court case. The Internet and Television Association, which represents cable programmers and distributors, has filed a motion to include an
Joel Zimmerman, WME’s global head of electronic music, has exited the agency, Variety has learned through multiple sources. Zimmerman was responsible agent for a roster that included the Weeknd, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Kygo, Murda Beatz and Steve Aoki. Zimmerman, who is based in Los Angeles, joined the agency in 2008 co-heading the department with tastemaker
Chinese moviegoers can expect to see Dante Lam’s “The Rescue,” Jackie Chan film “Vanguard” and two titles involving helmer Zhang Yimou this year, says a top Chinese distribution executive. He also confirmed National Day releases for two propaganda films — the first concrete information on upcoming theatrical debuts for new titles in months. China’s cinemas
Gregory Tyree Boyce, best known for playing Tyler Crowley in the first “Twilight” film, died on May 13, the Clark County Coroner’s Office confirmed to Variety. He was 30. Boyce and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Natalie Adepoju, were both found dead in their Las Vegas condo, E! reported. The cause of death for either individual has
In today’s film news roundup, the MPTF raises $750,000; IATSE hires a trio of epidemiologists; “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” and “The Flip Side” find homes; and the CAA Moebius screening series goes virtual. FUNDRAISER GOAL The Motion Picture & Television Fund has met its goal of $750,000 from its May 15 fundraiser event, thanks to
With the NBA season suspended, basketball-deprived fans had nothing new to watch while stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, ESPN moved up the release of the in-depth Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance,” and it became an instant hit with sports fans everywhere. The 10-part series relives each of Jordan’s six NBA championships
In today’s TV News Roundup, HBO Max released a trailer for its upcoming voguing competition show “Legendary,” and Netflix announced the premiere date for Season 2 of “The Politician.” DATES Netflix has announced that Season 2 of “The Politician” will premiere on the streamer on June 19. In this season, Ben Platt returns as Payton
During the first decade of Lynn Shelton’s career, it was nearly impossible to find her on a set without cinematographer Benjamin Kasulke by her side. Shelton, the writer-director known for prolific work in the indie film world with “Your Sister’s Sister,” “Laggies,” “Humpday,” among others, and her recent successes directing top-tier television shows like “Little
John Patrick Mahon, a director, writer and actor known for his roles in “L.A. Confidential” and “Zodiac,” died of natural causes in his home in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 3. He was 82. Mahon played the police chief in 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” starring Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe, and had a small part as
Whoopi Goldberg will moderate a virtual fundraiser next week with former vice president Joe Biden. The event, slated for May 28, will also feature musical performances from Sheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright, David Crosby and Joe Walsh. The campaign is billing it as a chance to “Rock Out on a Night In” with Biden. Co-chairs of
“Gentefied” will be coming back for eight more episodes. Netflix has renewed the half-hour dramedy for season 2, which will consist of two fewer episodes than its freshman outing. In addition, the cast and crew are set to reunite for a virtual table read on May 20. The table read, hosted by comedian George Lopez,
Michael Jordan may well be the greatest basketball player of all time (although LeBron James might have something to say about that), and the documentary about his historic career has proven to be the biggest in the history of ESPN. With the ratings for the final two episodes of the docuseries officially in, “The Last
Wendy Williams is taking a hiatus from her daytime talk show, due to symptoms of fatigue surrounding Graves’ disease, Variety has learned exclusively. “The Wendy Williams Show,” which has been filming remote episodes from Williams’ New York City home during the coronavirus pandemic, will be on hiatus through at least this week. A return date has not
Drama continues to follow “The Bachelor” franchise, with backlash brewing after former “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown used the N-word on Instagram this past weekend, while singing lyrics to a rap song. The controversy is the latest in off-camera scandals that seem to constantly surround the franchise, consistently keeping the ABC hit in the headlines, even when
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are firing back at Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s claim that she and/or their team illicitly bought their way to #1 this week. AG took to IG Monday with a celebratory post, highlighting her and Bieb’s single, “Stuck with U,” which landed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list …