‘Abbott Elementary’ & ‘Neon’ Actress Courtney Taylor Signs With Anonymous Content

EXCLUSIVE: Iconic actor, screenwriter, director and producer Sylvester Stallone has signed with UTA to be repped in all areas. Stallone moves from CAA.

EXCLUSIVE: Buchwald has signed Grammy-winning multi-hyphenate Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose Cyrus for worldwide representation in all areas. 

BreAnna Bell After the historically long dual WGA and SAG-Aftra strikes came to a resolution, ABC announced the return of scripted series with its midseason premiere schedule, revealing premiere dates officially set for new seasons of “Abbott Elementary,” “The Conners” and “9-1-1” among other popular titles. “Abbott Elementary” is scheduled to make its Season 3 premiere with an hour-long special debut episode on Feb. 7.

ABC has revealed its midseason lineup, which kicks off Monday, January 22 with a two-hour premiere of The Bachelor, as Joey Graziadei begins his journey to find love. It will be followed by an as-yet untitled new eight-episode true-crime series of ABC News’ 20/20.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Tyra Banks is shaking things up at her production company. Formerly known as Bankable Productions, the production shingle will now go by the name SMiZE Productions. The move is a nod to Banks’ ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream.

Bankable Productions, the entertainment company founded by Emmy-winning television producer, host, entrepreneur and supermodel Tyra Banks, is relaunching as SMiZE Productions, a nod to her globally expanding, impact-driven ice cream company, SMiZE & Dream with locations in Australia (coming January 2024) and Dubai.

Mark Wahlberg is back in Arthur the King.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter, one of the biggest female streamers and gaming creators in the world, has signed with WME for representation. She most recently was repped by UTA. Valkyrae is known for streaming games “Among Us,” “Fortnite” and “Valorant,” among others.

EXCLUSIVE: With the SAG-AFTRA strike officially ending yesterday, the broadcast networks are firming up the sizes of the 2023-24 orders to their scripted series, whose production was delayed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA work stoppages.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Jasmina Kuhnke, a German-born writer, actor, author and activist, has signed with CAA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. Kuhnke’s debut novel, “Black Heart,” is a bestseller. The semi-autobiographical book recounts her experience growing up on the outskirts of the Ruhr region in Germany in the ’90s, and how she grappled with racism.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor CAA has signed Haley Kalil, a scientist turned Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model, comedic content creator and actor. The Minnesota native attended St. Cloud State University where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in medical biology and psychology and a minor in chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy nominee Camila Morrone has signed with Brillstein Entertainment Partners for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer, director and comedian Rochée Jeffrey has signed with Independent Artist Group for representation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Molly Manning Walker, the English cinematographer-turned-filmmaker whose debut feature “How to Have Sex” won a prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has signed with CAA for representation. Penned and directed by Manning Walker, “How to Have Sex” world premiered at Cannes in Un Certain Regard where it won best prize and earned unanimous praise. The film follows three British teenage girls who go on a rites-of-passage holiday in sun-drenched Crete and find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent and self-discovery.

Kiana Madeira, best known for her role in Netflix’s hit trilogy Fear Street, has signed with Luber Roklin Entertainment for management.

EXCLUSIVE: Brillstein Entertainment Partners has signed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

EXCLUSIVE: Anonymous Content, Red Bull Studios and Rise Films have partnered to produce new documentary feature The Balloonists following Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard and English balloonist Brian Jones. BAFTA and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker John Dower has come aboard to direct the project and Anonymous Content’s AC Independent will oversee sales.

EXCLUSIVE: The Bear star Liza Colón-Zayas has signed with Liebman Entertainment for management.

Jennifer Esposito, who accumulated around 70 credits as an actress in movies and series before making her debut as writer and director of Fresh Kills, has signed with Echo Lake Entertainment. The management company is tasked with helping her forge a new career path. When you have mortgaged your house to make her first film as Esposito did, it stands to reason you would not be happy thinking you got that out of your system, and go back to waiting for the phone to ring with acting jobs.

Warner Bros Discovery has signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Taiwan Mobile and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) to create and distribute Taiwanese original content locally and across international markets.