Campanario Entertainment, Addiction House Forge Film, TV Production Alliance (EXCLUSIVE)

Candace Cameron Bure is addressing claims that she attempted to get the first queer character on removed from the show.On Thursday, Miss Benny posted a video to TikTok in which she claimed that she was told «one of the Tanner sisters» wanted to have her role axed back when she was playing Casey during the show's fourth season.«I was on, I played Casey, the first gay character on the franchise,» Miss Benny shared in her post. «One of the Tanner sisters is very publicly 'not for the girls' if that makes sense? [And] I remember I got sat down by the writers and the studio to basically warn me how this person, allegedly, was trying to get the character removed and not have a queer character on the show.»Miss Benny — who never used Bure's name directly in her video — went on to claim, «I was also sort of warned and prepared that this person's fan base might be encouraged to target me specifically.»«So, to this day — despite working on the show every day for two weeks straight — I have only had a conversation with one of the Tanner sisters,» Miss Benny claimed.In response to her TikTok post, Bure released a statement to ET denying that she ever attempted to get the role axed.«I never asked Miss Benny’s character to be removed from  and did not ask the writers, producers or studio executives to have queer characters on the show,» Bure shared in her statement.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Of all the impressive skills Barbie has amassed in her 64 years as a working doll, who knew that cartography would be a focal point of her highly anticipated summer movie debut? But here we are. Trailers for the upcoming “Barbie,” from director Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. Pictures, have led to the dissemination of a controversial map used in the film – one depicted in a scene with stars Margot Robbie and Kate McKinnon (known in the film as “Weird Barbie”) — and the studio is speaking up after days of international headlines. “The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Shout Studios acquired North American rights to “The Kill Room,” a thriller starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Joe Manganiello. The distribution and production division of indie Shout Factory has emerged victorious in a bidding war at Cannes Film Festival. Shout Studios plans to release the film in theaters this fall. “The Kill Room” was directed by Nicol Paone and written by Jonathan Jacobson. The dark comedic-thriller follows an art dealer (Thurman) who teams with a hitman (Manganiello) and his boss (Jackson) for a money laundering scheme. The plan accidentally turns the hired killer into an overnight avant-garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the underworld.

Once again, no scripted TV series are shooting on location in Los Angeles due to the ongoing Writers Guild strike, according to data compiled by FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

The number of filming permits issued by New York City declined in June from previous months and fell sharply from a year ago amid a WGA strike and continued uncertainty over the status of SAG-AFTRA. The actors’ contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expired June 30 with no deal but the two sides agreeing to extend talks through June 12 — at 11:59 pm PT.

EXCLUSIVE: Shondrella Avery, who starred in Napoleon Dynamite, is developing a slew of unscripted projects after striking a first-look deal with Bling Empire producer Jeff Jenkins Productions.

In exciting news for movie lovers and soccer enthusiasts alike, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced that Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy, “Next Goal Wins”, will have its world premiere at the 48th edition of the festival.

More than one year after getting married, Hannah Berner is revealing the celebrity who slid into her DMs ahead of her wedding to Des Bishop.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Taika Waititi’s sports comedy “Next Goal Wins” will have its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. “We’re thrilled to welcome Taika back to the Festival and share his audacious take on the most popular sport in the world,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. “’Next Goal Wins’ is perfect for TIFF fans of the beautiful game looking for their football fix until the 2024 World Cup arrives.” Waititi, who most recently directed Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” was last at the festival in 2019 with “Jojo Rabbit.” The offbeat comedy, about a 10-year-old Hitler Youth member whose imaginary friend is the Führer himself, won the TIFF People’s Choice Award and an Academy Award for adapted screenplay. Waititi is also known for “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” “Our Flag Means Death” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Roughly a month before Venice Film Festival’s 2023 lineup announcement, the buzz around the competition is heating up with several star-studded films by heavyweight directors in the mix, including Pablo Larrain (“El Conde”), Michael Mann (“Ferrari“), Sofia Coppola (“Priscilla“), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”) and Michel Franco (“Memory”). These titles are believed to have been officially invited to the Lido in competition, according to inside sources. Larraín’s follow-up to “Jackie,” “El Conde” depicts dictator Augusto Pinochet as a Vampire with a cast led by Chilean star Alfredo Castro.

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of his newest feature Radical‘s Festival Favorite Award win at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker Christopher Zalla has inked with Entertainment 360 for management.

Margot Robbie is welcoming fans into the iconic Barbie Dreamhouse!

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Wild Kingdom” is roaring its way back onto NBC more than 60 years after it first debuted on the broadcast network. The iconic wildlife show will return to the Comcast-owned broadcaster this fall in a new iteration produced by Hearst Media Production Group in partnership with the original show’s sponsor, Mutual of Omaha. Titled “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild,” the new version will be hosted by wildlife expert and “Wild Kingdom” alum Peter Gros, who first appeared on a version of the series in 1985 alongside then-host Jim Fowler. Fowler was the second expert to host “Wild Kingdom,” taking over for the show’s original narrator, zoologist Marlin Perkins, after acting as Perkins’ sidekick from the start.

William Earl Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has launched Absurd Ventures, which aims to produce video games, TV, film and a wide range of multiplatform content. Absurd Ventures will focus on creating characters and worlds that can be expressed in many different forms. In addition to video games, live-action and animation, Absurd Ventures also has its eye on books, graphic novels and podcasts. “We are building Absurd Ventures to create new universes and to tell great stories, wherever and however we can,” Houser said. The company, which has a handful of employees, is based in Santa Monica. Financing and investment partners will be unveiled at a later time, said a spokesman for Houser. Absurd Ventures’ website and social media accounts went live today.

For the second week in a row, no scripted TV series were shooting on location in Los Angeles due to the Writers Guild strike, according to data compiled by FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

Red Sea Fund & Film AlUla Partner On Production GrantThe Red Sea Fund has partnered with Film AlUla to offer a production grant for filmmakers with projects set within the landscape of AlUla in northwest Saudi Arabia. The Red Sea Fund and Film AlUla will be named as co-producers on all selected films, and Saudi Arabia will be a co-production country. The two bodies said chosen filmmakers will be given “free rein” on their creative project and will be judged purely on the quality of the production, talent, and script. Projects from Saudi Arabia, the Arab regions, and Africa are eligible for the Film AlUla fund. The fund will sponsor at least 10 projects. Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “Our aim as an organization is to uplift and support filmmakers from the Arab and African region and to promote the industry in Saudi Arabia – which is home to incredible filming locations like AlUla. We are delighted to have Film AlUla as a partner on this third cycle of funding, which will provide fund recipients the opportunity to bring their creative visions to life on the big screen as well as showcase the beauty and diversity of this country, with the backing of two significant partners.”

The Real Housewives is a cultural phenomenon.

Massive release date changes were fairly commonplace over the past few years, as we watched the COVID pandemic shift entire distribution strategies for film studios. Now, it appears the WGA Strike has finally shown its impact on film releases, at least over at Disney, as the studio delays some of the biggest films on its schedule including new “Avengers,” “Star Wars,” and “Avatar” films.

Calling them out! Luke Gulbranson had some choice words for some of his former Summer House costars and what goes on behind the scenes.

Programs from Elliot Page’s production company and the team behind comedy Letterkenny are among Paramount+’s latest Canadian slate.