Anyone with a Netflix account warned to check their direct debit immediately

From the broadcast heap pile to the top of Netflix’s weekly rankings — that has been the trajectory for The Lincoln Lawyer, David E. Kelley’s series based on Michael Connelly’s series of bestselling novels.

EXCLUSIVE: Phil Abraham has been tapped to direct and executive produce the pilot episode of Netflix’s untitled spy adventure series that will star Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first major foray into scripted television.

Variety reports. The sale is the biggest yet out of Cannes this year.Acclaimed short story and nonfiction writer Wells Tower (“Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned”) will be penning the script.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaNetflix is wrapping up a deal for “Pain Hustlers,” a conspiracy film from David Yates that is set to star Emily Blunt.The pact, which is for global rights to the package, is said to be in the $50 million range, according to a knowledgable insider. The sale is the biggest one so far out of Cannes, where dealmaking has been slow going.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix might have had a bumpy few weeks, but the streamer is poised to strike the first major Cannes deal on a hot market package.

NFL superstar Tom Brady will be taking the heat as the first subject of an upcoming series of new Netflix specials, Greatests Roasts Of All Time: GROAT. Brady also will serve as an executive producer, with his own roast set to tape in 2023, following his next season in the NFL.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix is ready to roast Tom Brady.Variety has learned exclusively that the iconic NFL quarterback is set to be the first subject of what will be a planned series of new Netflix comedy specials called “Greatest Roasts of All Time” or “GROAT.”“To quote my good friend, Marshawn Lynch … ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined,’” Brady said. Brady will serve as an executive producer on his own and future roasts. His roast will be filmed in 2023 following his next season with the NFL.“We can’t wait to burn three-time Super Bowl-losing quarterback Tom Brady, who only went back to the NFL in order to delay this roast,” said Robbie Praw, Netflix’s vice president of stand-up and comedy formats.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentEight years after “Maps to the Stars,” David Cronenberg is coming back to the Cannes Film Festival with what looks to be a big bang. Weaving together equal parts body horror and dystopian panache, “Crimes of the Future” instantly became one of the most buzzed-about competition films after Neon dropped the trailer on April 14, the day of Cannes’ press conference. The lushly-lensed film, which reunites Cronenberg with his muse Viggo Mortensen (“A History of Violence,” “Eastern Promises”) along with Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux, could prove as divisive as the Canadian master’s 1996 cult film “Crash” which went on to scoop Cannes’ very first Special Jury Prize for “its audacity, daring and originality.” Ahead of the start of the festival, Cronenberg sat down with Variety in Paris to talk about the long-gestating “Crimes of the Future,” the making of the picture, its underlying themes, while speaking candidly about the difficulty of financing challenging films, as well as his stance on streamers and  U.S.

One final Norm Macdonald comedy special is coming to Netflix.

Wilson Chapman editorNorm Macdonald may now be in the running for a posthumous Emmy. Netflix pulled a May surprise on Thursday, revealing that a final stand-up special from the legendary comedian, who died in September, will launch on May 30.

A final Norm Macdonald stand-up special could soon be coming to a streamer. According to the late comedian’s friend, David Spade, Macdonald secretly taped a dry run for a planned special before his death. Spade said he got emotional when he finally saw the footage among five of Macdonald’s closest pals, describing the jokes as "classic Norm stuff." "I definitely cried," Spade said during Wednesday’s episode of his "Fly on the Wall" podcast with Dana Carvey.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDavid Duchovny will write, direct and star in “Bucky F*cking Dent.” But those aren’t the only ways in which this is a true David Duchovny production from start to finish. The film is also based on Duchovny’s book of the same name, a novel that topped the best-seller list and was embraced by critics.“Bucky F*cking Dent” is set in New York during 1978, and follows an aimless thirty-something named Ted, who moves back in with his father Marty (Duchovny) after learning of his terminal illness.

“Virgin River” gets its season 4 release date.

Canadian unscripted producer Sean Connolly has set up his own production business and tied up a multi-year strategic deal with compatriot firm Great Pacific Media.

Robbie Praw, VP of Stand-up and Comedy Formats at Netflix, announced on Monday that the streamer will be showcasing highlights from the 11-day “Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival” stand-up comedy event held in Los Angeles, including Pete Davidson riffing on Kanye West’s bizarre social media onslaught, Amy Schumer telling a joke she wasn’t allowed to do at the Oscars, and David Letterman commenting on the recent attack on Dave Chappelle.The month-long comedy rollout begins with “The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up,” on May 19, which has John Mulaney paying tribute to Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle on Richard Pryor, Chelsea Handler on Joan Rivers and Jon Stewart to George Carlin. The remaining programs are as follows:Also coming up is a Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias special filmed in front of Netflix’s largest-ever audience at a sold-out Dodger Stadium.“These shows represent some of the best work we’ve done at Netflix, with the best comedic talent on the planet. We’re so grateful to everyone who performed, helping to create the biggest comedy festival in U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Outfest will expand its Screenwriting Lab this year, in partnership with Netflix.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticWatching “The Pentaverate” with the purpose of reviewing it gave me enormous sympathy for Wile E. Coyote trying to trap the Roadrunner while knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it would end in him getting flattened.

It appears Kaley Cuoco has a new boyfriend! And no, it’s not Pete Davidson, ya rom com conspiracy theorists!

Two-time Emmy winner Jeff Daniels has been tapped as the lead of A Man in Full, a six-episode limited series based on Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel, from David E. Kelley and Regina King. Kelley serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner, with King directing three episodes and exec producing as part of her first-look deal with Netflix via her Royal Ties production company.