Cineflix Media has appointed J.C. Mills as president and commercial director of Cineflix Productions, the company announced on Wednesday. As president, Mills will be tasked with leading the company’s growth by developing innovative content strategies, building its community of creatives, and strengthening its relationships with networks and streamers. As commercial director, he’ll join the Cineflix
BBC Studios has promoted Maggy Chan to the newly created role of managing director of its global distribution division, the company announced on Wednesday. As managing director, Chan is responsible for all business operations and is accountable for the finances and delivery of business plans for the division, which encompasses all international content sales, channels
France’s Series Mania, one of Europe’s biggest TV festivals, has been canceled following new French government coronavirus health restrictions. “Series Mania attracts 80,000 festival attendees and 3,000 industry professionals every year. Given the French government’s ban of meetings of over 1,000 people and numerous restrictions on the travel of French and international delegates, we’ve decided
Brazil’s José Padilha, director of “Narcos” and writer-director-producer of the “Elite Squad” feature film diptych, has been signed by Globo Studios to write, direct and produce a Globoplay original series about Marielle Franco, the Brazilian black, gay female human rights activist assassinated in a still-unresolved murder. The series, a high-profile addition to Latin America’s burgeoning
The Bank of England has cut interest rates in an emergency move to shore up the U.K. economy amid growing alarm over the coronavirus crisis. The Bank announced Wednesday morning it had reduced rates from 0.75% to 0.25%, marking the lowest level in history. “The reduction in Bank Rate will help to support business and
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched Peter Weber’s season finale of “The Bachelor,” which aired Monday night, Mar. 10, on ABC. Chris Harrison always says it, but this, truly, may have been the most dramatic season finale ever in the history of “The Bachelor.” The two-part finale kicked off on Monday
March 10, 2020 8:30PM PT Marvel Studios has commissioned Québec City-based animation studio Squeeze to create five episodes of “What If…?,” its new animated series set for release on the Disney Plus platform in summer 2021. The first animated series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “What If…?” was announced by the Mouse House when it
According to Chris Harrison, nobody knew how bachelor Peter Weber’s journey ended. Not even Weber (or producers, or his contestants, or Reality Steve, for that matter). But on the latter half of the two-night finale, audiences were finally clued in when the saga ended with a proposal – and then some. The evening started with
March 10, 2020 6:50PM PT A crew member who tested positive for the coronavirus worked on the upcoming Fox show ‘NeXt’ at Chicago’s Cinespace, SAG-AFTRA has confirmed. The production of “NeXt” was headquartered at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. “Fox/Disney notified cast and crew today that a production member for the show neXt, which wrapped production
On the way to 22, Sophie Allison, better known as Soccer Mommy, made a collage of the 1990s and 2000s music she was raised on. Pairing the pure-pop innocence of her vocal delivery with distorted, at times screeching guitars, her new album “Color Theory” finds a writer coming to terms with herself in real-time. Her
Former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to win the primary in Michigan on Tuesday, dealing a major setback to Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination. Biden was also declared the winner in Missouri and Mississippi, as he continued a winning streak that began 10 days ago in South Carolina. Speaking
Filmhouse, the home of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) in Scotland, has unveiled plans for a major new six-screen cinema and venue in the heart of the city. The planned building is expected to cost £50 million ($65 million) and has been designed by Edinburgh-based Richard Murphy Architects. If planning permission is granted by
In today’s film news roundup, “The Invisible Man” hits a milestone; “Kajillionaire,” “Come Play” and “Green Rush” get release dates; and Jack Eve’s romantic drama “Open” wraps shooting. BOX OFFICE Universal Pictures-Blumhouse Productions’ “The Invisible Man” has crossed $100 million at the worldwide box office in less than two weeks. The film, directed by Leigh
March 10, 2020 5:33PM PT The Writers Guild of America West has called off a membership meeting scheduled for Tuesday night at the Hollywood Palladium as a precaution against the coronavirus. The WGA also said its negotiating committee will not hold face-to-face meetings with members and will instead share the information about the upcoming negotiations
March 10, 2020 4:11PM PT Several NBC shows were among those that showed above average audience growth in delayed viewing for the week of Feb. 24. The third episode of “Good Girls” season 3 was the largest grower percentage-wise after seven days of delayed viewing, jumping up 150% from a 0.4 in Live+Same Day to
March 10, 2020 4:54PM PT The next Democratic National Committee debate will feature all qualifying candidates, but the event may be more notable for an element that will be missing. Due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus. there will be no live audience when former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, both
It’s now official: the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals have been postponed due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Organizers Goldenvoice released a statement on March 10: At the direction of the County of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to COVID-19 concerns. While this decision comes
March 10, 2020 4:34PM PT Newcomer Ever Anderson will play Wendy while Alexander Molony will play Peter Pan in Disney’s live-action Peter Pan pic “Peter Pan & Wendy,” sources tell Variety. “Pete’s Dragon” director David Lowery is on board to direct. Lowery co-wrote the script with Toby Halbrooks. Jim Whitaker is producing. Disney’s 1953 animated
Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, which generated a horror hit with “The Invisible Man,” has launched development of an untitled Dracula movie. Karyn Kusama, whose credits include “Destroyer,” “The Invitation” and “Jennifer’s Body,” is attached to direct the Dracula project. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, who teamed with Kusama on “Destroyer” and “The Invitation,” are writing
Ben Affleck was on Harvey Weinstein’s “red flag list,” according to recently unsealed court documents. Prior to the publication of bombshell reports, which ignited the #MeToo movement and led to the former movie mogul’s downfall, Weinstein kept a list of names of people he was concerned could be talking to journalists in 2017 about his
March 10, 2020 3:58PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released a trailer for its upcoming docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” and Awesomeness Studio made plans to produce a new young adult drama series. FIRST LOOKS Netflix has released a trailer for “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” an upcoming seven-episode docuseries
Filmmakers Jason Sussberg and David Alvarado were holed up in a studio Friday at Skywalker Ranch, putting the finishing touches on the sound mix for their film “We Are As Gods,” a documentary about the environmentalist Stewart Brand. The two men were scrambling to get everything ready for the film’s March 15 premiere at South
Roy Dana (R.D.) Call, an actor who appeared in such films as “Last Man Standing,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and several other films alongside Sean Penn, died on Feb. 27 of back surgery complications, his family announced. He was 70. The Utah native was born Feb. 16, 1950 and came to Los Angeles
Netflix’s “On My Block” is back … and it’s sexier than ever. Well, “sexy” is just one of the ways the cast of the coming-of-age show describe the upcoming third season. “We talk a lot about love and romance,” Brett Gray, who plays Jamal Turner, explained as the cast sat down with Variety to preview
ABC’s drama pilot “Harlem’s Kitchen” has cast Clare-Hope Ashitey, Adrianna Mitchell, and Pepi Sonuga, Variety has learned. The series is described as an ensemble family drama set in a fine dining restaurant in Harlem. They join previously announced cast member Delroy Lindo, who will play Ellis Rice, the head chef at the restaurant at the heart of
Filming on the Disney Plus series “Falcon & Winter Soldier” has been shut down in Prague due to concerns over the coronavirus, Variety has confirmed. The move comes after the Czech government placed a ban on movie screenings, elementary and high school classes, sports matches, and cultural events. The Prague Film Festival has also been canceled.
Interactive-video company Eko struck back against Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi with its own lawsuit, accusing Quibi of infringing one of Eko’s patents and misappropriating its trade secrets. The Eko suit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division, comes a day after Quibi proactively filed a federal lawsuit seeking
Woody Harrelson is set to replace Jason Statham in Sony’s “The Man From Toronto,” joining Kevin Hart in the action-comedy, sources confirmed to Variety. Statham was in talks to star opposite Hart, but abruptly backed out a week ago over creative differences, and Sony scrambled to find a new actor. Sony’s pairing with Harrelson makes
The cancellation of SXSW last week matters for many reasons. It matters because the City of Austin depends on the money the conference brings with it — over $350 million by 2019’s count. It matters because SXSW is a vital part of our music culture — whether the general music-consuming public realizes it or not.
March 10, 2020 2:32PM PT BMI has postponed its Latin music awards, which had been scheduled for March 31 in Los Angeles. The event is expected to be rescheduled for a later date. “The health and safety of our employees and affiliates is our number one priority,” the performing rights organization said in a statement,