‘Blue Jean’ Director Georgia Oakley Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International When former HBO executive Kary Antholis convinced veteran British producer Jane Featherstone to board a project about the Chernobyl disaster, the prospect of such an undertaking was far from a “slam dunk.”  “It had to be pushed over the line,” says Featherstone, “and that was with everybody supporting it.” But in the end, the historical drama from “The Last of Us” showrunner Craig Mazin was, as the producer puts it, a “lucky, lucky call” — and one that richly paid off.  The 2019 HBO and Sky miniseries about the 1986 nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine starring Jared Harris and Emily Watson won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, and put Featherstone’s new venture, Sister Pictures, on the map. 

“Drake & Josh” star Drake Bell has been reported missing.

EXCLUSIVE: Matt Shakman, who last year landed the highly coveted Fantastic Four directing job, has signed with CAA. Shakman beat a number of directors for the job in August on the highly-anticipated Marvel pic with production expected to star next year.

It’s sad that, in 2023, we are still finding places around the world (even throughout the U.S.) where LGBTQ folks are being ostracized and forced to hide their sexuality for fear of public reprisals.

In just two weekends, “John Wick: Chapter 4” has outgrossed the domestic totals for the first two films in the franchise and is more than halfway to passing ‘Chapter 3.’ That is to say, ‘Chapter 4’ is already a massive success, and the “John Wick” franchise is stronger than ever before. Even still, a fifth film doesn’t seem to be a given, according to director Chad Stahelski.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Abbott Elementary” will finally reveal Janine’s mother on the ABC comedy’s April 12 episode, and even though it’s April Fool’s Day, we’re not (Cookie) Lyon: It’s “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson, who will play Vanetta on the hit comedy series. The casting of Henson was revealed Saturday at the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest LA event, where an “Abbott Elementary” panel featured stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Wiliams and William Stanford Davis in person, as well as Janelle James and Chris Perfetti via Zoom from New York. Pre-taping a message was star and executive producer Quinta Brunson, who wasn’t able to attend — as she’s hosting tonight’s installment of “Saturday Night Live.”

Kristen Bell stunned in an all-black look from Reiss while posing on Instagram. Hailey Bieber wore the Frankies Bikinis Rehearsal Mini Low Waist Skirt with an oversized leather jacket and sneakers while out in Los Angeles, California. Bryan Cranston enjoyed dinner including potato and zucchini chips, grilled swordfish and sautéed scallops at Fresco by Scotto with his wife in New York City before posing for a photo with the restaurant’s owners, Elaina and Rosanna Scotto.Meghan Trainor wore a matching Nadine Merabi bra and blazer to film the finale of . Jessica Alba wore a Falconeri Sweater while attending Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France. Halle Bailey wore DMY by DMY sunglasses while out and about in Los Angeles, California. Gordon Ramsay visited Miami’s Stubborn Seed for dinner in Miami, Florida. Sherri Shepherd and Celebrity Chef Melba Wilson lead Celebrity Story Time for school children at the New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building in New York City.Kris Jenner shared her new antique sink-turned-planter from Olive Ateliers and a miniature tree styled by Olive Ateliers’ plantscape partner, The Haus Plant, on Instagram.Alix Earle was announced as the the face of the new Forever 21 x Juicy Couture collection, the third collaboration between the brands, available on the Forever 21 mobile app, in Forever 21 stores, and on Forever21.com.Emma Stone wore a Patou Fall/Winter 2023 look while out and about at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Jennifer Lopez drank Gorgie Sparkly Peach Keen while on set for her Intimissmi Spring/Summer 2023 campaign photo shoot. Kendall Jenner wore DMY BY DMY sunglasses while out and about in Los Angeles, California. Jennifer Hudson wore Jane Win's Hearts Find Me Love pendant during an episode of

EXCLUSIVE: Whitney Peak, who recently starred as Becca in the Disney+ sequel Hocus Pocus 2, has signed with CAA.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael C. Hall has signed with CAA for representation. 

Marta Balaga New York-based conglomerate Big Media has signed with RCTV International Corp. to become the exclusive distribution partner to parent company RCTV’s catalog for FAST and AVOD platforms worldwide.   Under the terms of the agreement, Big Media will distribute over 7,000 hours of telenovelas to streaming platforms around the world. It will also serve as the exclusive distributor of RCTV’s catalogue for all forms of broadcast in Europe and Asia.  “Our partnership with RCTV International is one of the most significant in our company’s 14-year history. RCTV’s catalog of telenovelas is unparalleled, both in terms of quality and quantity,” said Juan Fernández, Big Media’s head of Latin America and Spanish-speaking U.S. distribution. 

Naman Ramachandran Writer-director Jesper Ganslandt has signed with CAA for representation. Ganslandt made his debut with “Falkenberg Farewell” in 2006. The coming-of-age film followed a group of friends who grew up in the titular town of Falkenberg and spend a last summer there before moving to the big city. The film debuted at Venice and had a stellar festival run including Toronto, Reykjavik, Tallinn Black Nights and Goteborg. It was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Film Prize, chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Academy Awards, and was nominated in several categories at the Guldbagge Awards in 2007, including best film, best direction and best screenplay. It won the FIPRESCI Award at the IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Leigh Bardugo has signed with WME for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. WME will now rep the New York Times bestselling author for film and TV rights services. New Leaf Literary & Media represents Bardugo for publishing and will now co-represent her with WME in all other areas. Bardugo is best known for writing the so-called Grishaverse novels, which consists of nine books total beginning with the “Shadow and Bone” trilogy. Her books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Netflix currently airs the series version of “Shadow and Bone,” which is based on the three books of the trilogy as well as Bardugo’s “Six of Crows” duology. The cast of the series includes Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Danielle Galligan, Calahan Skogman, and Ben Barnes. The series launched on Netflix in April 2021 and was renewed for a second season in June. Season 2 premiered on March 16 of this year and remains in the Netflix Top 10 at the time of this publishing. Bardugo is an executive producer on the series.

Lady Amelia Spencer and her new husband Greg Mallett are on top of the world after saying 'I do' in a setting that means so much to them both. And, in a world exclusive, HELLO! is delighted to present all the stunning photographs and details from their wedding day."It was genuinely the best day of our lives.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Writer and director He Shuming has signed with Sugar23, the multimedia and management company founded by Oscar-winning producer, manager and entrepreneur Michael Sugar. The signing comes following He’s breakout debut feature “Ajoomma,” about a widow obsessed with Korean soap operas who travels abroad for the first time to Seoul, finding more than she had bargained for in the process. That movie collected several nominations and prizes on the film festival circuit. It premiered at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival in the New Currents section; was nominated at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Film; received four nominations at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, including Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actor; and won the Film AIUla Audience Award for Best Film at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Republic Pictures, an historic movie label founded in 1935 and shuttered in 1967, has been revived by parent company Paramount Global. The banner will function as an acquisitions play, releasing titles acquired by Paramount Global Content Distribution. “We’ve chosen to revitalize the Republic banner given its storied history of delivering popular movies to a global audience, ” said Dan Cohen, Paramount chief content licensing officer and newly-named president of Republic Pictures. “With our best-in-class global distribution teams working to identify the best homes around the world, we aim to continue that legacy by offering audiences great entertainment across all genres.”

As their top-seller, the Bondi Burger has been reimagined in a deconstructed form. With the same original chilli sauce and chicken fillets, the bowl includes feel-good favourites like edamame, kale, and mixed lettuce leaves.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Prime Video drama “The Devil’s Hour” has cast “Top Boy” star Saffron Hocking for Season 2. The British actor has joined the Hartswood Films-produced drama in the role of Sam Boyd, a detective sergeant who worked under DI Lucy Chambers (played by Jessica Raine) in a past life. “The Devil’s Hour” was created by Tom Moran, and is executive produced by “Sherlock” showrunner Steven Moffat. The six-part thriller premiered on Prime Video in October. The show follows Lucy, a social worker suffering from insomnia, who is inexplicably connected to a number of brutal murders in her neighbourhood, and is drawn into the search for a serial killer. The show also stars Peter Capaldi as Gideon Shepherd, a mysterious criminal with a unique relationship with time.

BreAnna Bell Kamie Crawford has signed with CAA for representation. She continues to be represented by Range Media Partners and Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver, and Thompson. Perhaps most known for her role as a host on MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show” (which she’s hosted since 2018), Crawford recently inked an overall deal with MTV Entertainment Studios in January and has since been named as the host of Paramount+’s “Are You The One?” and MTV’s “Ex on the Beach.” The former series, which ran for 8 seasons on MTV before jumping to the streamer, returned after three years off the air in January. She also hosted HBO Max’s “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” reunion special.

Keanu Reeves is reflecting on the life and legacy of his friend and co-star Lance Reddick, following the actor's untimely death.Reeves walked the red carpet at the premiere of , held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Monday, where everyone wore blue ribbon pins in Reddick's memory, and his name was displayed first and upfront on the marquee.Reeves spoke with ET's Nischelle Turner about Reddick — who appeared in all four films in the franchise as hotel concierge Charon — and was also slated to appear in the upcoming spinoff film, «Lance is a very beautiful person and special artist,» an emotional Reeves shared of his late colleague. «His grace and dignity, his shining light of character was just something really special.»Reddick's rep confirmed the news of his death to ET on Mar. 17, stating that he «passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes.» He was 60.Looking at his time with Reddick, Reeves shared, "[I am] really grateful I had the chance to know him and work with him over almost 10 years.«The moving words echoes Reeves' tribute, which he shared shortly after news of Reddick's death first broke, alongside director Chad Stahelski.»We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick," the pair said in their statement.

EXCLUSIVE: CAA has signed Hacks actor Johnny Sibilly for representation.