You might think that fewer shows would increase the chances of any given late-night series earning an Emmy nomination this year, but depending on how things shake out, that may not be the case.
There are currently two major categories where late-night shows compete at the Emmys: Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series.
While last year saw 12 shows submit in the Scripted Variety category, this year there will likely only be 5, with HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show and Random Acts of Flyness, Paramount+’s Inside Amy Schumer and Crank Yankers, Comedy Central’s Tooning Out the News and Showtime’s Ziwe no longer in production.
Similarly, last year saw 19 submissions in the Talk Series category. This year, there will likely be 13, even with the recent addition of category newcomers John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.
Continue reading Emmy Rules Could Hamper Prospects For Some Late-Night Shows at LateNighter.
There are currently two major categories where late-night shows compete at the Emmys: Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series.
While last year saw 12 shows submit in the Scripted Variety category, this year there will likely only be 5, with HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show and Random Acts of Flyness, Paramount+’s Inside Amy Schumer and Crank Yankers, Comedy Central’s Tooning Out the News and Showtime’s Ziwe no longer in production.
Similarly, last year saw 19 submissions in the Talk Series category. This year, there will likely be 13, even with the recent addition of category newcomers John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.
Continue reading Emmy Rules Could Hamper Prospects For Some Late-Night Shows at LateNighter.
- 5/23/2024
- by Nick Riccardo
- LateNighter
Two of the most celebrated shows in Emmy history are set to experience a weird awards season.
Saturday Night Live, which has won more Emmys than any other show in television history, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which has won in its category eight years in a row, could both face the indignity of not being officially nominated for an Emmy as a result of submission rules.
The number of submissions in the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category is expected to be significantly lower than last year. In addition to SNL and Oliver’s HBO show, the only other shows understood to be submitting in this category are CBS’ Taylor Tomlinson-hosted After Midnight, HBO’s Painting with John and The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman, which launched in April.
Per TV Academy rules, categories with fewer than 7 submissions will be “screened by the appropriate peer group...
Saturday Night Live, which has won more Emmys than any other show in television history, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which has won in its category eight years in a row, could both face the indignity of not being officially nominated for an Emmy as a result of submission rules.
The number of submissions in the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category is expected to be significantly lower than last year. In addition to SNL and Oliver’s HBO show, the only other shows understood to be submitting in this category are CBS’ Taylor Tomlinson-hosted After Midnight, HBO’s Painting with John and The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman, which launched in April.
Per TV Academy rules, categories with fewer than 7 submissions will be “screened by the appropriate peer group...
- 5/21/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Marsha Stephanie Blake has joined the cast of the upcoming Peacock limited series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Blake joins previously announced series lead Kevin Hart in the show, along with fellow cast members Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Don Cheadle, and Dexter Darden.
The series is based on the podcast “Fight Night,” which was produced by Will Packer along with iHeartPodcasts and Doghouse Pictures. It will be set in Atlanta in 1970. The official description states that it will tell “the infamous story of how an armed robbery during the night of Muhammad Ali’s (Darden) historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”
Blake will star as Delores Hudson, described as “Jd’s (Cheadle) wife and a social worker fighting for her community.”
Blake received an Emmy nomination for her role in the...
Blake joins previously announced series lead Kevin Hart in the show, along with fellow cast members Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, Don Cheadle, and Dexter Darden.
The series is based on the podcast “Fight Night,” which was produced by Will Packer along with iHeartPodcasts and Doghouse Pictures. It will be set in Atlanta in 1970. The official description states that it will tell “the infamous story of how an armed robbery during the night of Muhammad Ali’s (Darden) historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but an entire city’s destiny.”
Blake will star as Delores Hudson, described as “Jd’s (Cheadle) wife and a social worker fighting for her community.”
Blake received an Emmy nomination for her role in the...
- 2/8/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Primetime Emmy nominee Tessa Thompson’s Viva Maude has closed a multiyear first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
The actress, who has starred in the studio’s movies Creed III and Sylvie’s Love, launched her production company Viva Maude in 2020. The label’s mission is “to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining,” per the press release.
Viva Maude is already in business with Amazon MGM Studios, under its Orion Pictures banner, on Hedda, a reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, written and directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Thompson. Cameras are currently rolling on the pic.
In 2021, Kishori Rajan, known for her work on Random Acts of Flyness, teamed with Thompson to further expand Viva Maude’s portfolio in production and development, serving as SVP Development & Production. Viva Maude counts a slate of more than 20 movies and TV projects across several genres including narrative,...
The actress, who has starred in the studio’s movies Creed III and Sylvie’s Love, launched her production company Viva Maude in 2020. The label’s mission is “to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining,” per the press release.
Viva Maude is already in business with Amazon MGM Studios, under its Orion Pictures banner, on Hedda, a reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, written and directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Thompson. Cameras are currently rolling on the pic.
In 2021, Kishori Rajan, known for her work on Random Acts of Flyness, teamed with Thompson to further expand Viva Maude’s portfolio in production and development, serving as SVP Development & Production. Viva Maude counts a slate of more than 20 movies and TV projects across several genres including narrative,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Big Beach, the producer of “Little Miss Sunshine,” A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “The Farewell,” has fully relocated from New York to Los Angeles while building out its ranks.
Keetin Mayakara has been tapped by Big Beach as a producer. As a post producer, she has worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” and most recently, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” another Academy Award nominee. Before joining Big Beach, Mayakara co-produced the “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, and produced Season 2 of HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness.”
Austin Cottle joins the company as its head of finance after starting his career at 20th Century Fox with stints in-house at Netflix and Amazon, as well as on the show side where he oversaw “How to Become a Tyrant” for Netflix and “The Heart of Sergio Ramos” for Prime Video.
Zoe Levine...
Keetin Mayakara has been tapped by Big Beach as a producer. As a post producer, she has worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” and most recently, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” another Academy Award nominee. Before joining Big Beach, Mayakara co-produced the “The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, and produced Season 2 of HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness.”
Austin Cottle joins the company as its head of finance after starting his career at 20th Century Fox with stints in-house at Netflix and Amazon, as well as on the show side where he oversaw “How to Become a Tyrant” for Netflix and “The Heart of Sergio Ramos” for Prime Video.
Zoe Levine...
- 1/5/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of the first-ever International Production Design Week, the Production Designers Collective has coordinated a series of interviews with directors and production designers, in which they discuss their working dynamics and mutual passion for the craft of storytelling. At the heart of production designer Akin McKenzie and writer-director Terence Nance’s long-running collaboration is a mutual recognition of the importance of, as Nance puts it, “creative execution that flows from emotional framework.” The two first worked together on the Peabody-award-winning HBO show Random Acts of Flyness and went on to create Space Jam: A New Legacy and award-winning commercial campaigns for […]
The post Reject Departmental Sectarianism: Production Designer Akin McKenzie and Writer-Director Terence Nance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Reject Departmental Sectarianism: Production Designer Akin McKenzie and Writer-Director Terence Nance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/19/2023
- by Brandon Tonner-Connolly
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Ahead of the first-ever International Production Design Week, the Production Designers Collective has coordinated a series of interviews with directors and production designers, in which they discuss their working dynamics and mutual passion for the craft of storytelling. At the heart of production designer Akin McKenzie and writer-director Terence Nance’s long-running collaboration is a mutual recognition of the importance of, as Nance puts it, “creative execution that flows from emotional framework.” The two first worked together on the Peabody-award-winning HBO show Random Acts of Flyness and went on to create Space Jam: A New Legacy and award-winning commercial campaigns for […]
The post Reject Departmental Sectarianism: Production Designer Akin McKenzie and Writer-Director Terence Nance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Reject Departmental Sectarianism: Production Designer Akin McKenzie and Writer-Director Terence Nance first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/19/2023
- by Brandon Tonner-Connolly
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The already massive world of “Cyberpunk 2077” is about to get even bigger. CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the best-selling open-world game, announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Anonymous Content on a live-action project set in the dystopian universe.
At the moment, it’s unknown whether this project will be a series or a movie. The project is currently looking for a screenwriter to tell “a brand-new story,” according to a press release from the company.
Garrett Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz and Bard Dorros will produce the project on behalf of Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully. The project will developed in close collaboration with “Cyberpunk 2077’s” creative team. Anonymous Content’s AC Studios will act as the project’s studio.
CD Projekt Red is best known for creating “Cyperpunk 2077” as well as the “Witcher” video games, the most critically acclaimed of which is the beloved “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
At the moment, it’s unknown whether this project will be a series or a movie. The project is currently looking for a screenwriter to tell “a brand-new story,” according to a press release from the company.
Garrett Kemble, David Levine, Ryan Schwartz and Bard Dorros will produce the project on behalf of Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Scully. The project will developed in close collaboration with “Cyberpunk 2077’s” creative team. Anonymous Content’s AC Studios will act as the project’s studio.
CD Projekt Red is best known for creating “Cyperpunk 2077” as well as the “Witcher” video games, the most critically acclaimed of which is the beloved “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- 10/5/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
1497 has selected three finalist for their Features Lab.
The Lab’s first year was held virtually, and the second year was hybrid, held virtually and in-person. For its third year, 1497 is conducting the Lab as an in-person, immersive, artistic retreat in Malibu, California, during which each Mentee will be paired with a pod of four Mentors from whom they will receive script feedback and career guidance. Mentees will also work with filmmaker and veteran script consultant Adrienne Weiss to further develop their scripts, with a particular emphasis on the emotional journey of their stories.
“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we started the 1497 Features Lab to empower writers in the South Asian diaspora to tell whatever stories they want to tell, regardless of the societal, industry, or stereotypical expectations that so often confine writers in our community to certain genres and cultural storylines,” Ahmed, Khan,...
The Lab’s first year was held virtually, and the second year was hybrid, held virtually and in-person. For its third year, 1497 is conducting the Lab as an in-person, immersive, artistic retreat in Malibu, California, during which each Mentee will be paired with a pod of four Mentors from whom they will receive script feedback and career guidance. Mentees will also work with filmmaker and veteran script consultant Adrienne Weiss to further develop their scripts, with a particular emphasis on the emotional journey of their stories.
“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we started the 1497 Features Lab to empower writers in the South Asian diaspora to tell whatever stories they want to tell, regardless of the societal, industry, or stereotypical expectations that so often confine writers in our community to certain genres and cultural storylines,” Ahmed, Khan,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 12. Afterward, final voting commences August 17 and ends the night of August 28. The 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will now take place Monday, January 15, live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
What has been sort of the beauty of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” being such an Emmy magnet (it is coming off seven series Emmy wins in a row) is that HBO has been able to focus on the awards campaign for the final season of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” instead.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
What has been sort of the beauty of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” being such an Emmy magnet (it is coming off seven series Emmy wins in a row) is that HBO has been able to focus on the awards campaign for the final season of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” instead.
- 8/25/2023
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series Saturday Night Live — “Jenna Ortega, The 1975” Episode 1841 — Pictured: (l-r) Ego Nwodim as Ms. Shaw, Andrew Dismukes as , Chloe Fineman as , host Jenna Ortega as Claire, and James Austin Johnson as during the “Exorcism” sketch on Saturday, March 11, 2023 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)
Weekly...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series Saturday Night Live — “Jenna Ortega, The 1975” Episode 1841 — Pictured: (l-r) Ego Nwodim as Ms. Shaw, Andrew Dismukes as , Chloe Fineman as , host Jenna Ortega as Claire, and James Austin Johnson as during the “Exorcism” sketch on Saturday, March 11, 2023 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)
Weekly...
- 8/24/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Hello and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen podcast. I am Valerie Complex, and today we’re talking about the HBO documentary The Stroll with its directors Kristen Lovell (in her directorial debut), and Zackary Drucker, and one of the film’s subjects Carey Smith about the making of the film, how “The Stroll” became a tight knit community, and the repercussions of changes that exist in the Meatpacking District today. Here is a bit more info regarding today’s guest!
When Lovell moved to New York City in the 1990s and began to transition, she was fired from her job. With so few options to earn money to survive, Kristen, like many transgender women of color during this era, began sex work in an area known as “The Stroll” in the Meatpacking District of lower Manhattan. There is where trans women congregated and forged a deep camaraderie to protect each other from harassment and violence.
When Lovell moved to New York City in the 1990s and began to transition, she was fired from her job. With so few options to earn money to survive, Kristen, like many transgender women of color during this era, began sex work in an area known as “The Stroll” in the Meatpacking District of lower Manhattan. There is where trans women congregated and forged a deep camaraderie to protect each other from harassment and violence.
- 7/7/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Swimming in Your Skin Again. Courtesy of the artist.The French word “univitellin” means “of the same egg,” referring to a myriad of things that may look disparate but ultimately share an idea that binds them together. Terence Nance is a writer, a filmmaker, a musician, an actor. Among many other things, he created the HBO series Random Acts of Flyness (2018–2022); he is also the show’s composer and editor. The multi-branched network that defines Nance’s artistic pursuits travels long and deep but are all essentially of the same egg. “The idea of ritual” is what unites his work, he said when I spoke to him over Zoom about “Terence Nance: Swarm,” his new exhibition at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art. “I want to be transported when I'm experiencing art. I want to be pulled into it emotionally, like that ritual of making music or feeling it or being a part of it.
- 7/6/2023
- MUBI
Afro-surrealism has been on Hollywood’s radar for some time now. From Donald Glover’s groundbreaking series “Atlanta” to Terence Nance’s thought-provoking “Random Acts of Flyness” and Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed films “Get Out” and “Nope,” this formerly niche genre seems to be thriving in mainstream entertainment.
Writer, producer and musician Boots Riley, whose 2018 film “Sorry to Bother You” catapulted him to prominence as a filmmaker, returns with his latest project: “I’m A Virgo” on Prime Video. This highly anticipated series solidifies his position among the pioneers of the Afro-surrealist genre.
Afrofuturism and Afro-surrealism, often seen as interchangeable, are different. Where Afrofuturism blends the African diaspora’s art, science and music to speculate on the future, Afro-surrealism is about the now. Why romanticize a dystopian future when so many working-class Black and brown bodies live in oppressive spaces at this moment?
Also Read:
The Most Anticipated TV Shows...
Writer, producer and musician Boots Riley, whose 2018 film “Sorry to Bother You” catapulted him to prominence as a filmmaker, returns with his latest project: “I’m A Virgo” on Prime Video. This highly anticipated series solidifies his position among the pioneers of the Afro-surrealist genre.
Afrofuturism and Afro-surrealism, often seen as interchangeable, are different. Where Afrofuturism blends the African diaspora’s art, science and music to speculate on the future, Afro-surrealism is about the now. Why romanticize a dystopian future when so many working-class Black and brown bodies live in oppressive spaces at this moment?
Also Read:
The Most Anticipated TV Shows...
- 6/23/2023
- by Karama Horne
- The Wrap
Heading into this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, the category previously known as Best Variety Sketch Series has been rebranded as Best Scripted Variety Series. The TV academy created this and the Best Talk Series categories in 2015 as replacements for their catch-all variety series one in order to better recognize achievement in both subgenres. This year, 12 scripted variety shows are on the first-round nominations ballot, which means three final contenders will be revealed on July 12. This entrant amount is up from eight in 2022 and nine in 2021.
All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their ballots for their favorite programs. Unlike at the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally.
Whereas they could previously make as many selections as they wanted in each category, there are now limits based on the predetermined sizes of the eventual lineups.
All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their ballots for their favorite programs. Unlike at the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally.
Whereas they could previously make as many selections as they wanted in each category, there are now limits based on the predetermined sizes of the eventual lineups.
- 6/21/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Luke Kirby in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Weekly Commentary: Commentary to be added.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.
The rankings for the category are below.
The final Emmy voting rounds open on Aug.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Luke Kirby in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Weekly Commentary: Commentary to be added.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.
The rankings for the category are below.
The final Emmy voting rounds open on Aug.
- 6/15/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Anonymous Content has elevated four senior executives at the company including three within AC Studios, the premium independent film and TV production studio that sits inside Anonymous Content as well as a longtime executive in their Brand division.
AC Studios promotions include Garrett Kemble who will become President of Scripted, Jessica Grimshaw who has been named Head of Unscripted, and Nina Soriano who is now Producer and Head of Music Content – an initiative that will work across every division of the firm to build relationships and projects that bridge the worlds of music, television and film.
Additionally, longtime Commercial Executive Producer SueEllen Clair has expanded her role to include Vice President, Commercials, where she will continue to oversee projects and directors working across the Commercial and Music Content divisions of Anonymous Content.
All four execs will continue to be based out of the company’s Los Angeles office.
“We’re so thrilled for Garrett,...
AC Studios promotions include Garrett Kemble who will become President of Scripted, Jessica Grimshaw who has been named Head of Unscripted, and Nina Soriano who is now Producer and Head of Music Content – an initiative that will work across every division of the firm to build relationships and projects that bridge the worlds of music, television and film.
Additionally, longtime Commercial Executive Producer SueEllen Clair has expanded her role to include Vice President, Commercials, where she will continue to oversee projects and directors working across the Commercial and Music Content divisions of Anonymous Content.
All four execs will continue to be based out of the company’s Los Angeles office.
“We’re so thrilled for Garrett,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
1497, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting South Asian filmmakers, has enlisted Mira Nair, Geeta Malik (India Sweets and Spices)and Minhal Baig (Hala) as mentors for its third Features Lab. Baig is returning after having also served as a mentor for last year’s lab, held virtually and in-person in New York.
The 2023 edition will move cross-country to Malibu for the first time, taking place Oct. 18 through 23, wherein a newly structured format each of the three Lab participants will be given a dedicated pod of experts — a filmmaker, a producer, a representative and a Lab alum — to help them with script development and career guidance. In addition, they will receive (along with seven other finalists) the latest version of software from Final Draft, which is returning as Lab sponsor.
1497 has assembled a team of industry figures descended from all eight officially recognized South Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives,...
The 2023 edition will move cross-country to Malibu for the first time, taking place Oct. 18 through 23, wherein a newly structured format each of the three Lab participants will be given a dedicated pod of experts — a filmmaker, a producer, a representative and a Lab alum — to help them with script development and career guidance. In addition, they will receive (along with seven other finalists) the latest version of software from Final Draft, which is returning as Lab sponsor.
1497 has assembled a team of industry figures descended from all eight officially recognized South Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives,...
- 4/12/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ti West has locked in an all-star cast for his Mia Goth-led A24 horror pic MaXXXine, with Elizabeth Debicki (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.), Moses Sumney (The Idol), Michelle Monaghan (Nanny), Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher), Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Halsey (Americana), Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) and Kevin Bacon (City on a Hill) closing deals for roles.
MaXXXine is the third title in A24‘s first major horror franchise, on the heels of West’s films X and Pearl, both of which were released to much acclaim last year. The ’70s-set X had Goth pulling double duty as Maxine, who sees her pornography-shooting friends violently murdered in Texas, and one of their elderly assailants, Pearl. The latter film, set in 1918, meanwhile, served up an origin story for the latter villain character.
MaXXXine reverses the franchise’s trajectory through time to pick with Maxine after the violent events of X,...
MaXXXine is the third title in A24‘s first major horror franchise, on the heels of West’s films X and Pearl, both of which were released to much acclaim last year. The ’70s-set X had Goth pulling double duty as Maxine, who sees her pornography-shooting friends violently murdered in Texas, and one of their elderly assailants, Pearl. The latter film, set in 1918, meanwhile, served up an origin story for the latter villain character.
MaXXXine reverses the franchise’s trajectory through time to pick with Maxine after the violent events of X,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback have been set to receive the Rising Stars of the Year Award at CinemaCon 2023.
The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts duo will receive the recognition from NATO’s official convention at its Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony, which takes place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas the night of April 27. They join a list of honorees that also includes Oppenheimer‘s Christopher Nolan & Emma Thomas (NATO Spirit of the Industry Award), the cast of Lionsgate’s Joy Ride (Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award) and the Dune franchise’s Zendaya (Star of the Year Award).
The new Steven Caple Jr.-helmed Transformers film set for release in theaters June 9 hails from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures. It’s billed as a globetrotting adventure transporting audiences back to the ’90s alongside the iconic Autobots, which also...
The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts duo will receive the recognition from NATO’s official convention at its Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony, which takes place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas the night of April 27. They join a list of honorees that also includes Oppenheimer‘s Christopher Nolan & Emma Thomas (NATO Spirit of the Industry Award), the cast of Lionsgate’s Joy Ride (Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award) and the Dune franchise’s Zendaya (Star of the Year Award).
The new Steven Caple Jr.-helmed Transformers film set for release in theaters June 9 hails from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures. It’s billed as a globetrotting adventure transporting audiences back to the ’90s alongside the iconic Autobots, which also...
- 4/4/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Annette Bening has been tapped to narrate the documentary War Unfolding from Sypher Studios, with Eliza Bennett, Rachel Bloom, Gary Cole, Abigail Cowen, Laura Dern, Monique Edwards, Michael C. Hall, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Paul Walter Hauser, Thurn Hoffman, Richard T. Jones, Jay Lee, Erick Lopez, Sandra Seacat, Wes Studi and DeWanda Wise among those set to appear in the film from director John B. Benitz.
Based on three New York Times bestselling books by historian Andrew Carroll and inspired by the stage play If All the Sky Were Paper, the film tells the story of Carroll, who travels the world to seek out the greatest war letters ever written. Over the past 25 years, he has preserved more than 200,000 correspondences from troops, veterans and their families, dating from the American Revolution to the present day. The letters, performed in filmed readings by War Unfolding’s cast, capture unvarnished stories and...
Based on three New York Times bestselling books by historian Andrew Carroll and inspired by the stage play If All the Sky Were Paper, the film tells the story of Carroll, who travels the world to seek out the greatest war letters ever written. Over the past 25 years, he has preserved more than 200,000 correspondences from troops, veterans and their families, dating from the American Revolution to the present day. The letters, performed in filmed readings by War Unfolding’s cast, capture unvarnished stories and...
- 3/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us), Gabrielle Graham (Twenties), John Ortiz (Promised Land) and Tamsin Topolski (Slow Horses) have been cast opposite Colman Domingo in Netflix’s The Madness limited series. The conspiracy thriller hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber (O.G., The Laramie Project) and co-showrunner VJ Boyd (Justified, S.W.A.T.)
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilot & Series Orders
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Blake will play Elena Daniels, the mother of Muncie’s 15-year-old son.
Graham portrays Kallie, the adult daughter of Muncie.
Ortiz plays Franco Quinones, a longtime FBI field agent with strong convictions and a relentless approach to his work.
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilot & Series Orders
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Blake will play Elena Daniels, the mother of Muncie’s 15-year-old son.
Graham portrays Kallie, the adult daughter of Muncie.
Ortiz plays Franco Quinones, a longtime FBI field agent with strong convictions and a relentless approach to his work.
- 3/8/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Anonymous Content is developing Ryan La Sala’s bestselling social horror novel The Honeys for film.
The Honeys follows a queer teen, Mars, who is investigating the connection between his twin sister Caroline’s violent death and the Honeys, a group of beautiful, otherworldly girls who she boarded with at her exclusive summer camp. As Mars probes into who — or what — the Honeys really are, he’s surprised to find them inviting him into their world. He discovers they’re guarding a dark and sickeningly sweet secret in the meadows behind their cabin that could cost him everything.
David Levine and Garrett Kemble will oversee the project for Anonymous Content’s AC Studios. La Sala will serve as EP.
La Sala’s bestselling and award-winning novels center around surreal things happening to queer people, including Reverie and Be Dazzled, both published by Sourcebooks, and The Honeys (Scholastic). His next...
The Honeys follows a queer teen, Mars, who is investigating the connection between his twin sister Caroline’s violent death and the Honeys, a group of beautiful, otherworldly girls who she boarded with at her exclusive summer camp. As Mars probes into who — or what — the Honeys really are, he’s surprised to find them inviting him into their world. He discovers they’re guarding a dark and sickeningly sweet secret in the meadows behind their cabin that could cost him everything.
David Levine and Garrett Kemble will oversee the project for Anonymous Content’s AC Studios. La Sala will serve as EP.
La Sala’s bestselling and award-winning novels center around surreal things happening to queer people, including Reverie and Be Dazzled, both published by Sourcebooks, and The Honeys (Scholastic). His next...
- 2/27/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Robert Walak and Alisa Tager will be leaving their posts as Presidents of Film & Television at AC Studios, the independent film and TV production studio that sits inside Anonymous Content, when their contracts are up in a couple of months.
Walak and Tager are expected to continue producing projects for AC Studios through an arrangement whose terms are still being worked out.
There are no details yet about the duo’s replacement though I hear UCP veteran Garrett Kemble, who joined Anonymous Content as EVP of Development for AC Studios last summer, reuniting with former UCP President Dawn Olmstead who is now CEO of Anonymous Content, is poised for a bigger role in light of Walak and Tager’s pending exit.
“Alisa and Robert are brilliant producers,” said Anonymous Content Cco David Levine. “It has been a pleasure working with the two of them these past few years to...
Walak and Tager are expected to continue producing projects for AC Studios through an arrangement whose terms are still being worked out.
There are no details yet about the duo’s replacement though I hear UCP veteran Garrett Kemble, who joined Anonymous Content as EVP of Development for AC Studios last summer, reuniting with former UCP President Dawn Olmstead who is now CEO of Anonymous Content, is poised for a bigger role in light of Walak and Tager’s pending exit.
“Alisa and Robert are brilliant producers,” said Anonymous Content Cco David Levine. “It has been a pleasure working with the two of them these past few years to...
- 2/11/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Storytelling has always been a central part of Black spirituality — from testimonies to warnings and reverent reflections on what was, is and will be.
For artist and filmmaker Terence Nance, the architecture of Black world-building is rooted in ritual. And in order to enter his creative rhythm, his chosen portal is prayer. Those repetitions, that commitment to tradition and faith, have cleared space for the second season of his avant-garde, Peabody Award-winning HBO sketch comedy series Random Acts of Flyness to exist in its fullness — to capture the vast chromatic depth of Blackness. Program II, The Parable of the Pirate and the King, is a manifestation of manifestation; the knowing trust that something will reveal itself, simply because it is destined to.
The six-episode season operates with a more linear narrative than its predecessor, though it still establishes itself as a fluid bending...
Storytelling has always been a central part of Black spirituality — from testimonies to warnings and reverent reflections on what was, is and will be.
For artist and filmmaker Terence Nance, the architecture of Black world-building is rooted in ritual. And in order to enter his creative rhythm, his chosen portal is prayer. Those repetitions, that commitment to tradition and faith, have cleared space for the second season of his avant-garde, Peabody Award-winning HBO sketch comedy series Random Acts of Flyness to exist in its fullness — to capture the vast chromatic depth of Blackness. Program II, The Parable of the Pirate and the King, is a manifestation of manifestation; the knowing trust that something will reveal itself, simply because it is destined to.
The six-episode season operates with a more linear narrative than its predecessor, though it still establishes itself as a fluid bending...
- 12/19/2022
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Mariama Diallo is set to direct the pilot episode of the Hulu original series The Other Black Girl.
The series follows Nella, an editorial assistant who is tired of being the only Black girl at her company. So when Hazel is hired, Nella is excited at first until her star begins to rise. Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.
The Other Black Girl is an adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel of the same name.
Showrunner Danielle Henderson executive produces alongside Rashida Jones, Temple Hill, Adam Fishbach, and Zakiya Dalila Harris. Onyx Collective is the studio.
Most recently, Diallo’s debut feature film, Master, premiered on Amazon Prime in March. Currently, she is developing her pilot, Noir, with Hiro Murai directing and executive producing.
Previously, she staffed Terence Nance’s HBO sketch series, Random Acts of Flyness,...
The series follows Nella, an editorial assistant who is tired of being the only Black girl at her company. So when Hazel is hired, Nella is excited at first until her star begins to rise. Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.
The Other Black Girl is an adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel of the same name.
Showrunner Danielle Henderson executive produces alongside Rashida Jones, Temple Hill, Adam Fishbach, and Zakiya Dalila Harris. Onyx Collective is the studio.
Most recently, Diallo’s debut feature film, Master, premiered on Amazon Prime in March. Currently, she is developing her pilot, Noir, with Hiro Murai directing and executive producing.
Previously, she staffed Terence Nance’s HBO sketch series, Random Acts of Flyness,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Emmy-nominated filmmakers Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch are partnering to form the production company Trojan Horse. The company will be based in Los Angeles and Miami.
Deadline recently announced their latest project under the banner for Onyx, the limited docuseries Gigante, in collaboration with Don Francisco.
Producing unscripted and scripted feature films, series, and podcasts, Trojan Horse recently co-produced the four-part docuseries Menudo: Forever Young, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios. The series is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its June 23 release on HBO Max. Fumero executive produced the project.
Trojan Horse also produced the podcast Crumbs with Sonoro for iHeartMedia.
“We’re both bilingual, bicultural, first-generation Americans. Like us, there are millions more who coexist across various cultures and communities and whose stories are important, compelling, entertaining, and ready to be embraced by mainstream audiences. We’re excited to bring those stories to audiences everywhere,...
Deadline recently announced their latest project under the banner for Onyx, the limited docuseries Gigante, in collaboration with Don Francisco.
Producing unscripted and scripted feature films, series, and podcasts, Trojan Horse recently co-produced the four-part docuseries Menudo: Forever Young, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios. The series is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its June 23 release on HBO Max. Fumero executive produced the project.
Trojan Horse also produced the podcast Crumbs with Sonoro for iHeartMedia.
“We’re both bilingual, bicultural, first-generation Americans. Like us, there are millions more who coexist across various cultures and communities and whose stories are important, compelling, entertaining, and ready to be embraced by mainstream audiences. We’re excited to bring those stories to audiences everywhere,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Alex Winter (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Alok Vaid-Menon (Random Acts of Flyness), Andy Allo (Chicago Fire), Désiré Mia, Jennifer Jajeh (Transparent), Juliana Joel (American Gigolo), Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul), June Carryl (Y: The Last Man), Junes Zahdi (Counterpart), Laith Ashley (Pose), Mario D’Leon (Power), Nora Armani (The Blacklist: Redemption), Oluniké Adeliyi (The Expanse), Patton Oswalt (I Love My Dad), Reagan Gomez (Queen Sugar) and Shawn Mousavi (Echo 3) will star in the action-drama Absolute Dominion, which Lexi Alexander wrote and is directing for Netflix and Blumhouse Television.
In the martial arts pic currently in production, it’s 2085 A.D., and the world has been destroyed by religious warfare. Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a gripping, no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament. Last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.
Alexander, Jason Blum, John McKeown and Scott Putman are producing, with Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold exec producing for Blumhouse Television.
In the martial arts pic currently in production, it’s 2085 A.D., and the world has been destroyed by religious warfare. Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a gripping, no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament. Last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.
Alexander, Jason Blum, John McKeown and Scott Putman are producing, with Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold exec producing for Blumhouse Television.
- 4/29/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tamir Muhammad is extending and expanding his relationship with WarnerMedia. Muhammad, executive producer of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning late-night series Random Acts of Flyness, has entered exclusive first-look deals with Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO and HBO Max. The parallel pacts follow his previous multi-year overall television production and first-look feature deals, which Muhammad signed in 2018 when he launched his Populace production company. He is now extending the first-look feature deal with Warner Bros. Pictures while also adding a separate exclusive first-look TV deal with HBO and HBO Max.
Under the new agreements, Muhammad will continue to serve as executive producer on Random Acts of Flyness, which recently began production on its second season. Additionally, his Populace team, including Director of Development Maryssa Sklaroff, will continue to develop original programming.
“Tamir is an innovative storyteller and an inspiring colleague whose singular voice and creative vision have played a vital role...
Under the new agreements, Muhammad will continue to serve as executive producer on Random Acts of Flyness, which recently began production on its second season. Additionally, his Populace team, including Director of Development Maryssa Sklaroff, will continue to develop original programming.
“Tamir is an innovative storyteller and an inspiring colleague whose singular voice and creative vision have played a vital role...
- 3/30/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles-based entertainment law film Donaldson Callif Perez has promoted associate Katy Alimohammadi Crown to partner.
Crown specializes in representing filmmakers in all stages of their projects, including production legal services, rights clearance and distribution. She has established herself as a leading production and clearance attorney, serving as counsel on documentary series such as HBO’s “Music Box,” “The Last Dance,” “Tiger King” and “Random Acts of Flyness.” She has also worked as clearance counsel on scripted projects such as “Bombshell,” “The Front Runner,” “Zola” and “Leave No Trace,” as well as documentaries including “Operation Varsity Blues,” “Circus of Books,” “Shirkers” and the Oscar-nominated films “The Mole Agent” and “Crip Camp.”
“Katy has been a strong voice at our firm from the first day she arrived. Her love for film and books influences all her work in support of the creative community,” said Michael Donaldson.
Crown has been with Donaldson...
Crown specializes in representing filmmakers in all stages of their projects, including production legal services, rights clearance and distribution. She has established herself as a leading production and clearance attorney, serving as counsel on documentary series such as HBO’s “Music Box,” “The Last Dance,” “Tiger King” and “Random Acts of Flyness.” She has also worked as clearance counsel on scripted projects such as “Bombshell,” “The Front Runner,” “Zola” and “Leave No Trace,” as well as documentaries including “Operation Varsity Blues,” “Circus of Books,” “Shirkers” and the Oscar-nominated films “The Mole Agent” and “Crip Camp.”
“Katy has been a strong voice at our firm from the first day she arrived. Her love for film and books influences all her work in support of the creative community,” said Michael Donaldson.
Crown has been with Donaldson...
- 3/9/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Brett Gray (On My Block), Kara Young (The Punisher), Allius Barnes (Cruel Summer) and Olivia Washington (Lee Daniels’ The Butler) have been cast as series regulars opposite lead Jharrel Jerome in Prime Video’s absurdist dark comedy series I’m a Virgo, created, written, directed and executive produced by Sorry to Bother You writer-director Boots Riley. Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo are set to recur in the project, which is a co-production between Media Res and Amazon Studios.
“Our cast is hard as hell. Our cast slaps everyone else’s cast around on the playground. Sorry. I’ve spoken with the principal about this and there’s nothing more I can do,” Riley said about assembling the principal cast of the show.
I’m a Virgo is described as a radical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA.
Character descriptions are not being released,...
“Our cast is hard as hell. Our cast slaps everyone else’s cast around on the playground. Sorry. I’ve spoken with the principal about this and there’s nothing more I can do,” Riley said about assembling the principal cast of the show.
I’m a Virgo is described as a radical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA.
Character descriptions are not being released,...
- 2/22/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Emerging filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, whose narrative feature debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair premiered in the Next section of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, has signed with CAA for representation.
In the coming-of-age horror film written and directed by Schoenbrun, which will be released in theaters via Utopia and on HBO Max in April, teenager Casey (Anna Cobb) becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, while alone in her attic bedroom, therein beginning to document changes that may or may not be happening to her.
Schoenbrun’s second narrative feature, I Saw the TV Glow, has been set up at A24, with Emma Stone, Dave McCary and Ali Herting producing for Fruit Tree, alongside Sarah Winshall and Sam Intili.
They are also the director of the feature documentary A Self-Induced Hallucination, which premiered at the 2019 Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the creator of the anthology film Collective: Unconscious,...
In the coming-of-age horror film written and directed by Schoenbrun, which will be released in theaters via Utopia and on HBO Max in April, teenager Casey (Anna Cobb) becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, while alone in her attic bedroom, therein beginning to document changes that may or may not be happening to her.
Schoenbrun’s second narrative feature, I Saw the TV Glow, has been set up at A24, with Emma Stone, Dave McCary and Ali Herting producing for Fruit Tree, alongside Sarah Winshall and Sam Intili.
They are also the director of the feature documentary A Self-Induced Hallucination, which premiered at the 2019 Rotterdam International Film Festival, and the creator of the anthology film Collective: Unconscious,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nana Mensah, the writer, director, producer and actress who made her feature debut with Queen of Glory, has signed with WME for representation.
In the comedy, which premiered in U.S. Narrative Competition at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, the Ghanaian-American multihyphenate stars as Sarah, who looks to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country. The film netted Mensah the festival’s award for Best New Narrative Director and its Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression, as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival’s inaugural Mind the Gap Creation Prize.
Mensah was a staff writer on Season 2 of HBO’s late-night sketch series Random Acts of Flyness and is currently writing on Amazon’s The Power. She co-wrote and co-starred in Season 2 of Netflix’s Bonding, and appeared last fall in a series regular role opposite Sandra Oh and Bob Balaban in Netflix’s half-hour comedy,...
In the comedy, which premiered in U.S. Narrative Competition at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, the Ghanaian-American multihyphenate stars as Sarah, who looks to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country. The film netted Mensah the festival’s award for Best New Narrative Director and its Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression, as well as the Mill Valley Film Festival’s inaugural Mind the Gap Creation Prize.
Mensah was a staff writer on Season 2 of HBO’s late-night sketch series Random Acts of Flyness and is currently writing on Amazon’s The Power. She co-wrote and co-starred in Season 2 of Netflix’s Bonding, and appeared last fall in a series regular role opposite Sandra Oh and Bob Balaban in Netflix’s half-hour comedy,...
- 1/19/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
FX has ordered its pilot adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s acclaimed novel Kindred to series.
Based on MacArthur Fellow and Hugo Award winner Butler’s 1979 novel, the eight-episode series follows Dana (played by newcomer Mallori Johnson), a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own.
More from TVLineAtlanta: Earn and the Crew Are Strangers in a Strange Land in New Season 3 Teaser -- WatchAtlanta's Europe-Set Season 3 (Finally) Gets a Premiere Date at FXSnowfall Gets Season 5 Premiere...
Based on MacArthur Fellow and Hugo Award winner Butler’s 1979 novel, the eight-episode series follows Dana (played by newcomer Mallori Johnson), a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own.
More from TVLineAtlanta: Earn and the Crew Are Strangers in a Strange Land in New Season 3 Teaser -- WatchAtlanta's Europe-Set Season 3 (Finally) Gets a Premiere Date at FXSnowfall Gets Season 5 Premiere...
- 1/11/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Successfully having your short film selected for the Sundance Film Festival is going into it with odds stacked against you. Leaving the fest with a major win is next level. Mariama Diallo saw her sophomore short film Hair Wolf won the 2018 Sundance Film Festival Jury Award for US Fiction short film and she then directed four episodes of Random Acts of Flyness before moving into a feature film that almost became a Covid casualty when it begin and was erupted in March of 2020. An Amazon Studios backed project, Diallo’s Master lassoed Regina Hall in late 2019, and you’ll notice Never Rarely Sometimes Always Talia Ryder as part of the supporting players.…...
- 11/23/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: Former The Magicians star Jason Ralph and Blair Redford (Satisfaction) have booked heavily recurring roles opposite Gabrielle Creevey in Showtime’s upcoming drama series Three Women, an hourlong series based on the nonfiction bestseller by Lisa Taddeo. Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise and Betty Gilpin star along with Blair Underwood.
In Three Women, adapted by Taddeo, a group of women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Lina, a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane, a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, played by Wise, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie (Creevey), a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher, Aaron Knodel, (Ralph) of an inappropriate relationship. Gia (Woodley...
In Three Women, adapted by Taddeo, a group of women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Lina, a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane, a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, played by Wise, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie (Creevey), a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher, Aaron Knodel, (Ralph) of an inappropriate relationship. Gia (Woodley...
- 11/3/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Looking to add to its series roster that includes Narcos, Lupin, Barbarians and El Presidente, Gaumont has partnered with Tessa Thompson’s Viva Maude to develop for HBO Luster, the bestselling debut by Raven Leilani.
Scripting will Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview), and Lileana Blain-Cruz, recipient of the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. They are joint winners of the Obie Award for Marys Seacole, and are among the founders of the exploratory theatre collaboration, Afrofemononomy.
Edie is a young Black artist living a precarious existence in New York City when she takes a white lover in an open marriage, eventually moving in with him and his wife in the suburbs. There she not only finds herself in an increasingly tense relationship with the couple, but also becoming an unlikely mentor to their adopted Black daughter Akila. The debut novel quickly became a number one bestseller on the Nyt,...
Scripting will Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury (Fairview), and Lileana Blain-Cruz, recipient of the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. They are joint winners of the Obie Award for Marys Seacole, and are among the founders of the exploratory theatre collaboration, Afrofemononomy.
Edie is a young Black artist living a precarious existence in New York City when she takes a white lover in an open marriage, eventually moving in with him and his wife in the suburbs. There she not only finds herself in an increasingly tense relationship with the couple, but also becoming an unlikely mentor to their adopted Black daughter Akila. The debut novel quickly became a number one bestseller on the Nyt,...
- 10/25/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has set 10 fellows for its inaugural Producers Intensive, taking place virtually from October 21-22.
The artists and projects selected on the nonfiction side are Rachel Dickinson (Let the Little Light Shine), Alba Jaramillo (La Flaca), Rajeswari Ramanathan (The 1980 Civil Case), Chris Renteria (Chain of Rocks) and Shannon Sun-Higginson (You Lucky You Got a Mamma). Those chosen for the Fiction fellowship are Beverley Gordon (Experience), Lauren López de Victoria (forward), Breanne Thomas (In the Jackpot), Jesy Odio (Molokai’ Bound) and Ashley Chrisman (The Homesick).
The Producers Intensive was designed through a collaboration between Sundance’s Documentary Film and Feature Film Programs, as a means of providing creative, strategic and professional development support for emerging fiction and nonfiction producers from traditionally underrepresented communities.
The two-day program features interactive group sessions and round table conversations on topics including the producer/director collaboration, pitching, legal & business affairs, packaging and financing, and budgeting.
The artists and projects selected on the nonfiction side are Rachel Dickinson (Let the Little Light Shine), Alba Jaramillo (La Flaca), Rajeswari Ramanathan (The 1980 Civil Case), Chris Renteria (Chain of Rocks) and Shannon Sun-Higginson (You Lucky You Got a Mamma). Those chosen for the Fiction fellowship are Beverley Gordon (Experience), Lauren López de Victoria (forward), Breanne Thomas (In the Jackpot), Jesy Odio (Molokai’ Bound) and Ashley Chrisman (The Homesick).
The Producers Intensive was designed through a collaboration between Sundance’s Documentary Film and Feature Film Programs, as a means of providing creative, strategic and professional development support for emerging fiction and nonfiction producers from traditionally underrepresented communities.
The two-day program features interactive group sessions and round table conversations on topics including the producer/director collaboration, pitching, legal & business affairs, packaging and financing, and budgeting.
- 10/21/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Shaka King has signed a first-look deal at FX.
Under the deal, King will develop new TV projects for FX through his newly launched production company, I’d Watch That. Along with King, the company’s president and co-founder is Brandon Harris.
King most recently directed, co-wrote, and produced the Oscar-winning feature film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which told the story of Illinois Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton and how the U.S government conspired to imprison and ultimately murder him. The film starred Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton, with Kaluuya winning the Oscar for best supporting actor. It also starred Lakeith Stanfield as Bill O’Neal, who informed on Hampton to the FBI.
King was part of the team for “Judas and the Black Messiah’s” Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and best picture as well.
“We at FX have long been fans of Shaka King’s work...
Under the deal, King will develop new TV projects for FX through his newly launched production company, I’d Watch That. Along with King, the company’s president and co-founder is Brandon Harris.
King most recently directed, co-wrote, and produced the Oscar-winning feature film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which told the story of Illinois Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton and how the U.S government conspired to imprison and ultimately murder him. The film starred Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton, with Kaluuya winning the Oscar for best supporting actor. It also starred Lakeith Stanfield as Bill O’Neal, who informed on Hampton to the FBI.
King was part of the team for “Judas and the Black Messiah’s” Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and best picture as well.
“We at FX have long been fans of Shaka King’s work...
- 10/1/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
FX announced that the pilot based on Octavia Butler’s 1979 science fiction novel “Kindred” has cast Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and David Alexander Kaplan as series regulars.
They join previously announced cast member Mallori Johnson, who will play the lead role of Dana, a young Black writer who finds herself transported back and forth between the present and a 19th century slave plantation.
Stock is primarily known for his stage work, including his Tony-nominated performance as Gus in Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only a Play.” He will also star in John Slattery’s upcoming film “Maggie Moore(s)” alongside Jon Hamm and Tina Fey. His other credits include Netflix’s “Bonding,” Disney Plus’ “The Right Stuff,” and Paul Downs Colaizzo’s film “Brittany Runs A Marathon.” Stock is repped by ICM, Anonymous Content and ID.
From 2008 to 2014, Kwanten starred as Jason Stackhouse in HBO’s True Blood.
They join previously announced cast member Mallori Johnson, who will play the lead role of Dana, a young Black writer who finds herself transported back and forth between the present and a 19th century slave plantation.
Stock is primarily known for his stage work, including his Tony-nominated performance as Gus in Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only a Play.” He will also star in John Slattery’s upcoming film “Maggie Moore(s)” alongside Jon Hamm and Tina Fey. His other credits include Netflix’s “Bonding,” Disney Plus’ “The Right Stuff,” and Paul Downs Colaizzo’s film “Brittany Runs A Marathon.” Stock is repped by ICM, Anonymous Content and ID.
From 2008 to 2014, Kwanten starred as Jason Stackhouse in HBO’s True Blood.
- 9/29/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
FX has rounded out the series regular cast for drama pilot Kindred, based on an adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s influential novel. Joining newcomer Mallori Johnson, who stars, are Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and David Alexander Kaplan.
The project hails from writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Watchmen), Courtney Lee-Mitchell (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Darren Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures, Joe Weisberg (The Americans) and Joel Fields (Fosse/Verdon). FX Productions is the studio.
Johnson plays the central character Dana, a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own. But, before she can get settled into her new home, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time to a nineteenth-century plantation with which she and her family...
The project hails from writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Watchmen), Courtney Lee-Mitchell (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), Darren Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures, Joe Weisberg (The Americans) and Joel Fields (Fosse/Verdon). FX Productions is the studio.
Johnson plays the central character Dana, a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own. But, before she can get settled into her new home, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time to a nineteenth-century plantation with which she and her family...
- 9/29/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
When Philadelphia’s BlackStar Film Festival opens its doors — both in-person and for virtual events — later this week, the venerable annual event will be celebrating a major milestone: its tenth anniversary. It’s a major turning point for a festival that has come to be recognized as a significant celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora, as well as of global communities of color.
Over the past decade, the festival has enjoyed continued growth, both in the scope and reach of the festival itself and with new and ongoing year-round initiatives. As it passes into its next decade, there’s only more to come. Initially dubbed by members of its community as “the Black Sundance,” the nickname spoke to its ambitions. Since then, its scope has expanded significantly: In 2014, the decision to include submissions from brown and indigenous filmmakers all over the world was first made...
Over the past decade, the festival has enjoyed continued growth, both in the scope and reach of the festival itself and with new and ongoing year-round initiatives. As it passes into its next decade, there’s only more to come. Initially dubbed by members of its community as “the Black Sundance,” the nickname spoke to its ambitions. Since then, its scope has expanded significantly: In 2014, the decision to include submissions from brown and indigenous filmmakers all over the world was first made...
- 8/2/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Multiple Emmy Award-winners Uzo Aduba and Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) have been cast in Second Stage Theater’s upcoming Broadway production of Lynn Nottage’s new play Clyde’s, along with Reza Salazar (Sweat) and Kara Young (Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven).
Second Stage announced the casting today, with a fifth role remaining to be cast.
Directed by Kate Whoriskey, Clyde’s will begin previews Wednesday, Nov. 3, with an official opening on Monday, Nov. 22, at Second Stage’s Broadway home, The Hayes Theater.
Second Stage describes the new play as “a stirring and funny new play from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and her frequent collaborator, director Kate Whoriskey,” set in a truck stop sandwich shop where a formerly incarcerated kitchen staff has a shot at redemption.
Aduba will play Clyde, the shop’s callous owner who...
Second Stage announced the casting today, with a fifth role remaining to be cast.
Directed by Kate Whoriskey, Clyde’s will begin previews Wednesday, Nov. 3, with an official opening on Monday, Nov. 22, at Second Stage’s Broadway home, The Hayes Theater.
Second Stage describes the new play as “a stirring and funny new play from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and her frequent collaborator, director Kate Whoriskey,” set in a truck stop sandwich shop where a formerly incarcerated kitchen staff has a shot at redemption.
Aduba will play Clyde, the shop’s callous owner who...
- 7/12/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Adam McKay‘s upcoming L.A. Lakers drama on HBO has cast some pivotal players in the series. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland), and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) have all scored recurring roles on the show that will be based on Jeff Pearlman‘s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, […]
The post HBO’s LA Lakers Drama Series Just Cast Actors as Richard Pryor and Jack Nicholson appeared first on /Film.
The post HBO’s LA Lakers Drama Series Just Cast Actors as Richard Pryor and Jack Nicholson appeared first on /Film.
- 6/23/2021
- by Marisa Mirabal
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Adam McKay’s HBO L.A. Lakers drama series is rounding out its cast. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland) and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) will recur in the series based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. McKay’s Hyperobject Industries is producing.
Written by Max Borenstein, the fast-break series chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court.
Epps plays Richard Pryor, the prolific and boundary-breaking comedian who lived the Hollywood dream, sometimes in excess.
Conti portrays Paula Abdul. Before she was a decade-defining pop star, Paula Abdul was just a high school student from the San Fernando Valley, moonlighting as the innovative choreographer for the Laker Girls.
Written by Max Borenstein, the fast-break series chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court.
Epps plays Richard Pryor, the prolific and boundary-breaking comedian who lived the Hollywood dream, sometimes in excess.
Conti portrays Paula Abdul. Before she was a decade-defining pop star, Paula Abdul was just a high school student from the San Fernando Valley, moonlighting as the innovative choreographer for the Laker Girls.
- 6/21/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Alok Vaid-Menon has signed with UTA for worldwide representation in all areas.
The author, performer, and public speaker, also known as Alok, has performed at more than 500 venues in more than 40 countries. They are known for a distinctive performance style that integrates poetry, comedy and lecture to explore themes of trauma, belonging and the human condition.
Alok’s most recent work as an author is Beyond the Gender Binary, which has been described as “a clarion call for a new approach to gender in the 21st century.” The book, based on their own experiences as a gender non-conforming artist, was published by Penguin Random House in June 2020.
Before that, Alok penned Femme In Public, a poetry collection that examined anti-trans violence, loss, grief and personal freedom.
On screen, they have appeared in HBO’s late-night sketch series Random Acts of Flyness and the 2016 documentary The Trans List. Alok is...
The author, performer, and public speaker, also known as Alok, has performed at more than 500 venues in more than 40 countries. They are known for a distinctive performance style that integrates poetry, comedy and lecture to explore themes of trauma, belonging and the human condition.
Alok’s most recent work as an author is Beyond the Gender Binary, which has been described as “a clarion call for a new approach to gender in the 21st century.” The book, based on their own experiences as a gender non-conforming artist, was published by Penguin Random House in June 2020.
Before that, Alok penned Femme In Public, a poetry collection that examined anti-trans violence, loss, grief and personal freedom.
On screen, they have appeared in HBO’s late-night sketch series Random Acts of Flyness and the 2016 documentary The Trans List. Alok is...
- 5/21/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Hollywood history is littered with awkward moments from interviews with Black talent. When race and gender divisions are introduced, some truly uncomfortable scenarios result. Consider Dick Cavett asking an unwitting Eddie Murphy, during a TV interview, if he was offended by the word “nigger” in Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Or when a news anchor confused Samuel L. Jackson with Laurence Fishburne. The “all Black people look alike” motif has, sadly, been a recurring one in Hollywood and beyond.
Black artists are starting to react to the questions coming their way. Assuming that there will be a proliferation of film and television work from Black talent in the years ahead, here are a few handy assists for those who will be covering it, a guide to questions you should not ask and some thoughts about what you should.
“The White Gaze”
Last week, in anticipation of the release...
Black artists are starting to react to the questions coming their way. Assuming that there will be a proliferation of film and television work from Black talent in the years ahead, here are a few handy assists for those who will be covering it, a guide to questions you should not ask and some thoughts about what you should.
“The White Gaze”
Last week, in anticipation of the release...
- 5/20/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
A group of 108 producers have banded together to form the Producers Union, a supervisory union and collective bargaining organization for feature film producers in the United States.
Spearheading the organization are Rebecca Green (“It Follows”) and Chris Moore (“Manchester by the Sea”). The group has elected an executive committee with Green as its president and Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People”) as vice president.
Currently, the union currently excludes documentary and TV producers, although “our goal is to eventually include documentary and television producers,” the site states. “We chose to be very specific in our work with the assumption that we could get off the ground faster if we focused on one type of producer first. Once we have industry support, we can decide whether to expand our reach.”
Under the National Labor Relations Act, producers are recognized as supervisors and excluded from the protections of federal labor law. Under legal advisement,...
Spearheading the organization are Rebecca Green (“It Follows”) and Chris Moore (“Manchester by the Sea”). The group has elected an executive committee with Green as its president and Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People”) as vice president.
Currently, the union currently excludes documentary and TV producers, although “our goal is to eventually include documentary and television producers,” the site states. “We chose to be very specific in our work with the assumption that we could get off the ground faster if we focused on one type of producer first. Once we have industry support, we can decide whether to expand our reach.”
Under the National Labor Relations Act, producers are recognized as supervisors and excluded from the protections of federal labor law. Under legal advisement,...
- 5/20/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Exclusive: CBS’ United States of Al has added The Big Bang Theory alum Brian Thomas Smith to its cast in a recurring role.
Created and written by David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari, United States of Al is about the friendship between Riley (Parker Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir, “Al” (Adhir Kalyan), the interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America. Cast members also include Kelli Goss, Dean Norris and Elizabeth Alderfer also star.
Goetsch & Ferrari, Lorre, Reza Aslan, Mahyad Tousi are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.
Smith will appear as Freddy, the new boyfriend of Riley’s ex, Vanessa (Goss). Freddy is an aggressively friendly guy who rubs Riley the wrong way.
The actor’s credits also include Babysplitters, The Pet Squad Files, The Flip Side,...
Created and written by David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari, United States of Al is about the friendship between Riley (Parker Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir, “Al” (Adhir Kalyan), the interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America. Cast members also include Kelli Goss, Dean Norris and Elizabeth Alderfer also star.
Goetsch & Ferrari, Lorre, Reza Aslan, Mahyad Tousi are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.
Smith will appear as Freddy, the new boyfriend of Riley’s ex, Vanessa (Goss). Freddy is an aggressively friendly guy who rubs Riley the wrong way.
The actor’s credits also include Babysplitters, The Pet Squad Files, The Flip Side,...
- 5/5/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Magnolia Pictures International has acquired worldwide and U.S. sales rights to the comedic feature, Queen of Glory, which will make its world premiere at the 20th Tribeca Film Festival in June.
Marking the feature debut of writer-director-actress Nana Mensah, the New York-set feature centers on Sarah (Mensah), a Ghanaian-American who looks to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country. As fate would have it, her plans fall apart, when her mother’s death leaves her the owner of a bookshop in the Bronx.
In making the acquisition announcement, Lorna Lee Torres, Magnolia Pictures’ Head of International Sales said, ““We are over the moon to champion such a heartfelt, smart and funny film. Nana’s refreshing blend of charm and deadpan humor immediately immerses the viewer into her African...
Marking the feature debut of writer-director-actress Nana Mensah, the New York-set feature centers on Sarah (Mensah), a Ghanaian-American who looks to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country. As fate would have it, her plans fall apart, when her mother’s death leaves her the owner of a bookshop in the Bronx.
In making the acquisition announcement, Lorna Lee Torres, Magnolia Pictures’ Head of International Sales said, ““We are over the moon to champion such a heartfelt, smart and funny film. Nana’s refreshing blend of charm and deadpan humor immediately immerses the viewer into her African...
- 4/22/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
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