Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History Of Nearly Everything’ Being Reimagined As Animated TV Series By Josh Weinstein, Jason Hazeley & Richard Ayoade

Just over a week after Bill Weinstein left Verve, the former CEO of the agency he co-founded wants his old job back – and Weinstein’s going to court to get it.

EXCLUSIVE: Felix Solis (Ozark) and Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) have been tapped for supporting roles in The Friend, the New York dramedy starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, which adapts Sigrid Nunez’s New York Times bestseller.

EXCLUSIVE: Following their work together on Ted Melfi’s acclaimed coming-of-age drama St. Vincent, Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) and Bill Murray (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) have been set to topline The Friend, an adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s New York Times bestselling novel, from writer-directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Montana Story).

In 2010, Endeavor lit agents BillWeinstein, AdamLevine and BryanBesser left in the wake of the WMA merger to launch a new agency built on a different, client-first approach to representation and a different culture from the corporate-minded big firms.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter A “Wings of Fire” animated series based on the books of the same name is in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively. Fans of the books by author Tui T. Sutherland will no doubt rejoice, as this is now the second attempt to adapt the books for the screen.

Katcy Stephan Verve agents Jake Dillman, Matthew Doyle and Devon Schiff are leaving the literary boutique in the wake of Bill Weinstein‘s departure, Variety can confirm. It appears Weinstein has plans to set up shop on his own, as alluded to in a statement from Verve leadership. “We are aware that Bill may be trying to create his own agency and we wish him the best,” the statement reads.

EXCLUSIVE: Days after CEO Bill Weinstein separated ties with Verve, lit agents Devon Schiff, Matthew Doyle and Jake Dillman are also leaving the agency, sources tell Deadline. While not confirmed, sources believe the three agents will be joining Weinstein at a new shop he is planning to open up. No details have been disclosed about the potential new agency. Verve leadership had this to say in a statement:

she was “lying low” after having received abuse following her appearance of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. The comedian was a panellist on the year-end Channel 4 quiz on Boxing Day alongside Katherine Ryan, Mo Gilligan, Richard Ayoade, Mel Giedroyc and Kevin Bridges.Now, in a new interview with The Guardian, she has spoken about how the episode affected her personally.“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t upset me, but luckily, I am surrounded by such a strong network of brilliant friends, family, colleagues who support me,” she said.“Do I need a thick skin? Yes, I bloody do.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Bill Weinstein has exited Verve talent agency after a little more than a year as CEO and 14 years after he helped launch the literary boutique on the heels of Endeavor’s takeover of the William Morris Agency. The parting was confirmed late Monday by Verve in a statement. “We thank Bill as a co-founder and for his 14 years of service and wish him nothing but success in his future,” read a statement attributed to “Verve leadership.” The agency also confirmed that Weinstein’s role as CEO would not be filled but rather “shared by the founders and managing partner.” Weinstein could not immediately be reached for comment.

Here is some news sure to stir the agency world as Deadline has learned Verve CEO Bill Weinstein has separated from the company.

EXCLUSIVE: Disney will launch CGI-animated series Morphle and the Magic Pets on March 20.

Coronation Street star Bill Roache is said to be "doing fine" despite facing a huge 'bankruptcy' bill. The 91-year-old actor is at risk of a second bankruptcy due to a reported debt of £588,015.18 owed to the taxman.

There’s still nine months to go until the presidential election, and we’ve already reached peak talking points. At least, that was the contention from Bill Maher in his “New Rules” editorial on Friday’s Real Time.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Toyota is boldly going where few carmakers have gone before: into the anime world.

Disney+ has set a spring premiere date for Marvel Animation‘s X-Men ’97, a revival of the classic ’90s animated series. The new 10-episode series will begin streaming on March 20. You can watch the first trailer above.

Following yesterday’s “The Fantastic Four” casting news and breaking the internet, Marvel’s got even more today. Nostalgia is running really high at Marvel Studios at the moment, and arguably, it’s THE thing of the moment.

EXCLUSIVE: Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell do not court publicity and when the duo welcome Deadline to their London office in early February, it is the first interview they have given about House Productions since they set up the film and TV outfit nearly seven years ago.

SpongeBob SquarePants went viral after the animated character took a shot at Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating history during the first-ever Nickelodeon Super Bowl 2024 livestream. In a clip uploaded to X (formerly Twitter), both SpongeBob and Patrick Star can be heard comparing the actor, 49, to the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” character of the same name and his love for pizza. “Catch me if you can with these pizzas Leonardo ‘da cap is low,” Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) said in the clip on Sunday.

There’s more Zombies coming to Disney Channel.

Bill Maher is often confronted with the accusation that he’s switched from an ultra-liberal to a more conservative stance. He may have added fuel to that argument with the subect of Friday’s Real Time, which focused on what he called “Biden’s Brain.” It’s a topic that broke out this week from hushed backrooms to the mainstream, thanks to a Dept. of Justice report and the President’s own attempts to refute it.