‘Beauty and the Beast’ TV Special Casts David Alan Grier as Fan-Favorite Character (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer With peak nerd TV upon us, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of genre programming – or David S. Goyer, a devotee and prolific writer-producer of genre fare. Goyer and his Phantom Four Films partner Keith Levine produced Hulu’s new David Bruckner-directed “Hellraiser” movie, which launched Friday, and are in the middle of filming their latest take on classic IP, “The Omen” prequel movie “The First Omen,” in Rome. Beyond that, the pair are in post-production on the second season of Apple’s “Foundation” adaptation, breaking the writers’ room for more episodes of the “Batman Unburied” podcast for DC and Spotify. They’re also working on two spinoff podcasts, including “Riddler,” featuring Hasan Minhaj, and a Batgirl/Barbara Gordon project. And they’re in the early stages of developing a dramatic series revolving around Michael Moorcock’s “The Eternal Champion” books for Skydance and Apple TV+ with “Foundation” writer Dana Jackson. If that’s not enough, they’re also holding their breath for a renewal of the Warner Bros.-produced “The Sandman” at Netflix.   

The search for the next James Bond is heating up!

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The question is no longer just what Bob Dylan will have to say about Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up” or the Clash’s “London Calling” when he writes about them in his new book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song.” Now we can wonder how Helen Mirren or Renée Zellweger will sound giving voice to Dylan’s prose as they read those chapters, respectively, in the audiobook version, which, like the hardback, arrives Nov. 1. Variety previously reported the titles of the historical songs Dylan has written essays about for the tome, followed by the the names of the actors enlisted to read individual chapters for the audiobook, but those two lists hadn’t been paired up till now. A look at the list below, being revealed for the first time today, shows that all of the stars involved have been given multiple assignments, including Jeff Bridges, Oscar Isaac, Rita Moreno, Jeffrey Wright, Sissy Spacek, John Goodman, Alfre Woodard and Steve Buscemi as well as Mirren and Zellweger.

H.E.R. is gearing up to show the world a new take on Belle. The singer and actress is set to play the iconic Disney princess in ABC's forthcoming live-action/animated special, and she is looking forward to the experience.The celebrated musician performed at the charity gala The Event, presented by the by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, and spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier after her performance about her historic casting.«Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! I've been in the studio, playing with the arrangements, of course staying true to the original but giving it a new fresh twist,» the 25-year-old musician marveled. «It's gonna be like H.E.R.

EJ Panaligan editor Janelle Monáe is set to be honored with the Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Outfest Legacy Awards. The special salute will be presented at Outfrest’s annual gala, held at Paramount Studios on Sat., Oct. 22, which marks the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization’s 40th anniversary. The Trailblazer Award, presented by IMDb, recognizes Monáe’s role as an artist who has consistently shown her support for the LGBTQ+ community at large through her Grammy-nominated music and critically acclaimed acting. Monáe’s latest starring role will be seen in Netflix’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” set for release in December.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Lin-Manuel Miranda has a message to the trolls who have targeted their hate at Halle Bailey, star of the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” — watch Brandy in “Cinderella.” “I’m old enough to remember that being a game changer for my generation,” Miranda told me during a Zoom chat from the L’Attitude conference in San Diego, where he was making an appearance with American Express to support Latino small business owners. “And Rob Marshall was the choreographer on that and is now the director of the movie. I’m really thrilled by that symmetry.” Besides, Miranda thinks the positivity and excitement around the new film far outweigh the negativity. Just take a look at the sneak peek of Bailey singing a snippet of “Part of Your World,” which racked up 104 million global views within days of its debut at the D23 Expo. “I’m not interested in giving them any oxygen because I know the lives that are going to be changed. Halle is perfect for the part,” said the Tony winner, who wrote four songs for the movie with composer Alan Menken. “She is going to blow them away. If that’s the thing that makes you mad, then stay mad. But examine your choices.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Rachel Zoe, Julie Plec and Jennifer Salke will be honored at this year’s Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala. Zoe will be presented with the Vanguard Award and Plec will receive the Barbara Berlanti Hero Award. The Humanitarian Award will go to Salke. The event, taking place Oct. 1 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and chaired by Greg Berlanti and Robbie Rogers, will include musical performances by Tori Kelly, En Vogue and The Scarlet Opera. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Fuck Cancer. The guest list includes Aisha Tyler, Azie Tesfai, Daniel Ezra, David Ramsey, Hailey Bieber, Jesse L. Martin, Kheng Hua Tan, Lily Cowles, Maz Jobrani, Michael Trevino, Misha Collins, Olivia Liang, Peter Facinelli, Sara Foster, Taylor Zakhar Perez, TR Knight, Tzi Mai, Yasha Jackson and Yvonne Chapman.

More cast members have been announced for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast special that will air on ABC this holiday season.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Martin Short and Shania Twain are in final talks to join ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast” special. Sources tell Variety that Short would play Lumière while Twain will take on the role of Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” The news comes just days after Variety exclusively reported that David Alan Grier will play the role of Cogsworth in the production. Previously announced cast members include Oscar winner H.E.R. as Belle, Grammy winner Josh Groban as Beast and Joshua Henry as Gaston. EGOT legend Rita Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator in the live-action/animated hybrid production.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The late great songwriter Allee Willis was celebrated Wednesday night with a fashion show and party benefiting the Willis Wonderland Foundation. Willis, whose credits included the Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There for You,” better known as the “Friends” theme song, Earth Wind and Fire’s “September” (yesterday was the 21st) and a gaggle of disco-era hits, started the foundation to support the arts in underserved communities. She passed away from a cardiac event in 2019 at age 72. “She was a visual artist, performer, collector, party thrower extraordinaire with a whole amusement park full of kitsch-tastic colorful fashions,” Willis’ partner and the foundation’s CEO Prudence Fenton said. “Everything she did was all about making people happy. She lived to inspire others to express their own inner and outer creativity in every way. Creating art and music makes life worth living.”

Emily Longeretta It may be the first day of fall, but for Hallmark Channel, that means it’s only one month away from their annual “Countdown to Christmas” and “Miracles of Christmas” events. Variety can exclusively reveal the 40 new movies coming this holiday season — 31 on Hallmark and 9 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorJonathan Bailey is in talks to join the cast of Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” movies.The “Bridgerton” star will play Fiyero in the two-part feature adaptation headlined by Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. The Universal Pictures films are set for release on Christmas in 2024 and 2025.“Wicked” is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” telling the story of how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.“We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one ‘Wicked’ movie but two!” Chu wrote in a statement when announcing the two-parter. “With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”

Emily Longeretta When it comes time for fall, the leaves aren’t the only things that change. In the TV landscape, especially in broadcast, cast shakeups are common. Sometimes, that means that many actors are choosing to walk away from beloved characters — for one reason or another.

For the past several years, Dancing with the Stars and ABC producers have let go of several fan-favorite faces from the longtime ballroom competition show.

Dancing with the Stars is returning tonight for season 31 on Disney+ and a lot of the pro dancers you’ve been seeing the last few years will be returning.

“Melissa Barrera made a splash on the IMDb Starmeter chart last summer, literally dancing into our living rooms, and our hearts, with ‘In the Heights,'” IMDb founder and CEO Col Needham said. “We are so proud to recognize her as our newest recipient of an IMDb Starmeter Award and are thrilled to celebrate her incredible performances, for which entertainment fans and professionals have flocked to IMDb and IMDbPro to learn more about her and her work.”The Mexico native began her career actings telenovelas before moving to the U.S.

Endeavor Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel says the pledges by many media execs to rein in content spending amid a broader streaming rethink have yet to have an impact on his company.

ABC will be airing a special version of Beauty and the Beast later this year to celebrate the beloved movie’s 30th anniversary.