Blumhouse Television President Chris McCumber to Step Down

K.J. Yossman Update: Kitty Laing is to step down as head of comedy at United Agents as well as her other leadership roles. The agency said in a statement: “Following the statements made earlier this week, it has been agreed that Kitty Laing will step away from her leadership roles as Head of Comedy and as a member of the Executive Committee of United Agents, effective immediately.

Christian Nodal and Cazzu have recently become parents and are overjoyed by the new addition to their family. The baby was born on September 14th, and the couple has been sharing their happiness with the world.

Warner Bros. Discovery is restructuring its Global Brands, Franchises, and Experiences — overseeing worldwide consumer products, themed entertainment, franchise management and DC Comics businesses – following the departure of the division’s president Pam Lifford.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Bear” creator Christopher Storer has lined up a new television project at FX. Variety has confirmed that Storer and FX won the rights to the upcoming book “All the Other Mothers Hate Me” by journalist Sarah Harman in a strong bidding war said to have included more than a dozen other parties. The book is described as a satirical thriller about “an American woman who suspects her beloved son might have murdered a wealthy pupil at his West London private school,” per the description from the publisher.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sony Pictures Television has brought in Tania Missad as executive vice president of research, strategy, and analysis. She will begin her new role today at the studio’s Culver City lot and will report to Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope. “A deeply respected leader, Tania brings curiosity, rigor, and passion to her work,” Pope said.

The Los Angeles Times reported.On Sunday, CAA confirmed that Dakhil also would, for the time being, give up her position as co-head of the motion picture department. While stepping back from some of her responsibilities, the powerful agent will continue working with her current A-list clientele, CAA said. Dakhil on Wednesday reposted an Instagram story that read, in part, “You’re learning who supports genocide.” In addition to the post, Dakhil wrote, “That’s the line for me.” She shared a second photo with the caption, “What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening.” Soon after the posts were deleted and Dakhil issued an apology to Variety for the “hurtful language.” “I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language.

Maha Dakhil, who was Co-Head of Motion Pictures at CAA, has stepped down from leadership and resigned from the agency’s internal board after her controversial comments on Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attacks.

One of the most powerful public officials in Greater Manchester has announced he will be retiring. Eamonn Boylan will step down as chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in May.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The weekly talk series “The Problem With Jon Stewart” is not getting a third season at Apple TV+, Variety has confirmed. The show originally debuted in 2021 as part of a multi-year first-look deal Stewart signed with the streaming arm of the tech giant. Season 1 of the show aired episodes every two weeks, while the second season switched to a weekly format.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Daredevil: Born Again” is undergoing a major creative overhaul, Variety has confirmed. The Disney+ series from Marvel Studios has recently parted ways with head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman and is currently seeking new writers to revamp the show. Ord and Corman will still be credited as executive producers.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Lowell Peterson‘s tenure as executive director of the Writers Guild of America East was destined to be bookended by strikes. After 15 years at the helm, Peterson will step down from his post as of Nov. 15 when his current three-year contract expires.

Unity Technologies CEO John Riccitiello, who had held the position for almost a decade, is no longer with the company following the fallout over fee changes for the game engine.James M. Whitehurst is now the interim CEO and president of the company, with Roelof Botha, the lead independent director of Unity’s board, stepping into the role of chairman.Unity is actively seeking a new CEO but Riccitiello “will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition”.“Unity is well-positioned to continue enhancing its platform, strengthening its community of customers, developers and partners, and focusing on its growth and profitability goals,” Whitehurst said in a press release.In September, Unity unveiled its new runtime fees which would come into effect for customers once their game had overcome certain thresholds for installs and lifetime revenue.However, the response from game developers to the changes was disastrous.

EXCLUSIVE: Chris McCumber is departing Blumhouse Television after three years as President. The unit’s President of Production, Jeremy Gold, will step into the top role on an interim basis while search is underway for a new head of the TV group which is getting downsized, with several people — believed to be less than 10 — being laid off today. (Blumhouse’s total headcount in film and TV is almost 100.)

Marco Chimenz, Co-CEO of Italy’s Cattleya the prominent ITV-owned outfit behind “Gomorrah” and “ZeroZeroZero,” will be leaving the company in January to join pan-European powerhouse Federation Studios. At Federation Chimenz will serve as group co-managing director of the expanding production and distribution studio that currently comprises 35 production companies, working closely with founder and CEO Pascal Breton and Federation co-director Lionel Uzan.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TV veteran Campbell Brown, after heading Meta‘s news and media partnerships for almost seven years, is departing the internet giant this fall. In a note to staff Tuesday, Brown said she will share additional details in the coming weeks about her next role, but that she will “remain affiliated with Meta in a new consultant capacity,” according to Axios, which first reported her exit. A Meta spokesperson said the team headed by Campbell will be moved over to existing teams focused on media and sports partnerships development and operations.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pierre Branco, general manager for Warner Bros. Discovery in France, Benelux and Africa, is stepping down from his position, Variety has learned.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The megahit animated series “SpongeBob SquarePants” has been renewed for Season 15 at Nickelodeon. The new season will consist of 26 episodes and will bring the show to 345 total episodes since it originally launch in 1999. The show will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its debut in 2024.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Amy Israel, the head of scripted at Showtime, is stepping down, Variety has learned. Israel’s formal title is executive vice president of global programming. She will remain with Showtime through the end of the year in a transitional role.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO has set the premiere date for the Season 4 of “True Detective.” Officially dubbed “True Detective: Night Country,” the six-episode season will launch on Jan. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.