Cinedigm Takes Stake In Producer Roundtable, Sets 10-Pic Genre Slate Led By Thriller From ‘Saw’ Director

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested that The Walt Disney Co. should be stripped of its “special privileges” in the state following its opposition to the new Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed by detractors as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Administrative leave is turning into personal leave for Elisabeth Finch, the consulting producer on Grey’s Anatomy whose medical and personal history is under scrutiny.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDean Devlin’s new Syfy series “The Ark” has found its core cast members as production gets underway, Variety has learned exclusively.Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read and Ryan Adams will all appear as series regulars in the show, which is now shooting at PFI Studios in Belgrade, Serbia. The show was first announced back in January.“The Ark” takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life.

Manori Ravindran International EditorMagnolia Pictures has snapped up the North American rights to a Martin Scorsese executive-produced documentary about New York’s historic Chelsea Hotel.Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier’s “Dreaming Walls,” about the Manhattan institution and its controversial renovation, world premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale in February. Magnolia plans to release the film in theaters and on-demand this summer.The Chelsea Hotel, an icon of 1960s counterculture, was a haven for famous artists and intellectuals including Patti Smith, Janis Joplin and the superstars of Warhol’s Factory.

Sisters in beauty! A-list stars rely on their glam pros to look their most fabulous before a big event, but what happens when the celeb and the makeup artist are best friends? Magic, that’s what!

Kirby And The Forgotten Land may impact the future of the pink sphere’s franchise.In a recent interview with The Washington Post, a few members of the team at HAL Laboratory and Nintendo talked about what the jump to complete 3D could mean for the series, and how that shift in design has inspired change throughout the franchise.“We brought Kirby to the 3D action/platformer genre along with the series’ iconic elements, including the nonstop, feel-good action and excitement,” said Kei Nonimiya of Nintendo’s EPD division.“We also incorporated elements that challenge advanced players while still maintaining playability. I feel that what we achieved in this game has opened up more possibilities for future Kirby titles.”“We hope to continue this momentum and explore new genres and new ways to play in the future,” Nonimiya added.Whilst 3D is new for Kirby, a point was made of how it will not necessarily be the “standard going forward,” according to HAL Laboratory’s Shinya Kumazaki.“We will continue to explore via trial and error and not just limit ourselves to 3D […] it could be considered an important “milestone” in the long history of the series,” they added.Kirby And The Forgotten Land first caught people’s eyes when it showed off the new “Mouthful Mode,” which sees Kirby essentially wrap himself around objects, from staircases to cars and cones.The developers wanted to make sure it was always obvious what Kirby had inhaled, with particular attention brought to how the bottom of the car peeks out from underneath the affectionately fan-named Karby, or how the stairs outline is incredibly obvious just due to the shape.

Christopher Vourlias “I Am Greta” director Nathan Grossman will be taking two new projects in development to the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX), one of which he’s revealed exclusively to Variety.The documentary feature, with the working title “Amazonia,” follows a series of expeditions into the Amazon led by Sydney Possuelo, considered the leading authority on Brazil’s remaining isolated indigenous peoples.

It’s the middle of Oscar voting, “CODA’s” win at the PGA Awards has everyone buzzing and we’re exactly one week away from the big show. Sunday, March 20 features the last day of guild honors.

The PGA Awards is always one of the longest awards ceremonies. This year, however, there was joy in the room as it returned to an in-person event and fine career honoring acceptance speeches by Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Greg Berlanti, and Issa Rae.

While there was “Sopranos” and Martin Scorsese’s “Boardwalk Empire” before it, and David Fincher’s participation in “House Of Cards” that paved the way for the streaming age, it’s hard to argue that the show that launched the current era of streaming Peak TV with auteur directors involved was anything other than HBO’s “True Detective,” directed by Cary Fukunaga.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe strong debut of Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” at the box office last month came a happy sign that moviegoing is back to normal-ish levels as families returned to multiplexes for the Tom Holland-starrer based on the PlayStation video game franchise.Behind the scenes, “Uncharted” is also a textbook case of a movie that needed seasoned and dedicated producers to see it through a nearly 13-year journey to get made. The leader of that pack was Charles Roven, the head of Atlas Entertainment, who has been in the business of making blockbusters for a long time. Think “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Suicide Squad,” “Man of Steel,” “Wonder Woman” and more.Roven discusses “Uncharted’s” course to the big screen — including his collaboration with producer Avi Arad — on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” He also weighs in on the debate over what defines filmmaking in the streaming age.

Naman Ramachandran Transatlantic production powerhouse Sister has taken a minority stake in independent outfit Dorothy Street Pictures. Dorothy Street Pictures, which is behind Sundance and Cannes title, Bruce Lee documentary “Be Water” and has a Pamela Anderson documentary in the works for Netflix, will remain fully independent.

Sister, the firm founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has taken a minority stake in UK production company Dorothy Street Pictures, we can reveal.

Barack Obama is back.

BET has given a green light to College Hill: Celebrity Edition, a revival of its hit reality series College Hill, for premiere this summer.

Elon Musk is looking to throw down with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Tesla co-founder, 50, challenged Putin, 69, to a one-on-one fight amidst Russia’s tragic invasion of Ukraine. “I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” Elon wrote on Twitter March 14. “Stakes are Ukraine,” he added. Elon wrote Putin’s name in Russian and Ukraine in Ukrainian.

HGTV veteran Jane Latman will be taking the helm of Food Network, expanding her responsibilities as President, HGTV and Streaming Home Content. The move comes as current Food Network President Courtney White departs to launch a new production company, Butternut Films, and as parent company Discovery prepares for the merger with WarnerMedia, which is expected to close in April. Latman begins her expanded role on April 30, and will continue to report to Kathleen Finch, Chief Lifestyle Brands Officer, Discovery, Inc.