David Morse, Bill Heck & Jaklyn Bejarano Set For Texas Border Drama ‘La Gloria’

Thanks to the success of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and its spinoffs, drag has hit the mainstream in recent years — and at the same time, is under attack in the U.S., with several Republican-run states having introduced legislation to ban drag while scaling back hard-fought LGBTQIA+ rights.

Warner Bros Discovery’s hour-long earnings call with Wall Street analysts Friday morning included nary a mention of the WGA strike, unlike many other such calls in recent days.

EXCLUSIVE: Seann William Scott (The Wrath Of Becky, American Pie franchise) has signed on to star in The Last Bachelor, a romantic comedy from director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door, Something Borrowed).

EXCLUSIVE: Actors Mark McKinney (Superstore, Kids in the Hall) and Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie, Love Sick, Sex Education) have signed on to star in the comedy road movie A Rush of Blood.

EXCLUSIVE: Amy Adams (Arrival), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise) and Tessa Thompson (Creed franchise) have closed deals to star in The Invite, a comedy based on Cesc Gay’s Goya-winning 2020 Spanish film Sentimental, to be directed for FilmNation Entertainment by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine, Battle of the Sexes), multiple sources tell Deadline.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, which is slated to air live this Sunday from Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger with host Drew Barrymore, will move forward even as a writers strike is now underway. Because it’s live, the kudocast will likely be the first program noticeably impacted by a strike, although insiders close to the show tell Variety they already had multiple contingency plans in place in case. “We are all collectively hoping for the best, we’re hoping for a resolution so that the show can continue on as planned,” one production source told Variety on Monday, prior to the WGA contract expiration and announcement of a strike. “Should we need to pivot, we will. We are working through our contingency plans. This is something that we have been discussing for for quite some time. So we are hard at work. These are very busy hours and days for us… the nature of live events and live shows and live programming is to be able to pivot when things come up. Those are all skills that we have honed very well over the last few years.”

EXCLUSIVE: Fiona Shaw (Andor), Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice) and Chaske Spencer (The English) have entered production in NYC on Park Avenue, a new indie drama from Sundance alum Gaby Dellal (On a Clear Day), who directs from her script written with Tina Alexis Allen.

“Nomadland” filmmaker Chloé Zhao is coming off a massive win at the 2021 Academy Awards as the acclaimed drama earned statues for Best Director and Best Picture. Shortly after, she released “Eternals,” which didn’t really excite audiences as much as she would have liked.

Thania Garcia Pink lit up the stage for No Kid Hungry’s first in-person dinner event since before the pandemic on Thursday evening. As part of the festivities, Pink delivered an intimate performance to the “most empathetic crowd of people,” along with giving an acceptance speech as the organization’s national champion. The honor was bestowed upon the pop singer and philanthropist by actor Jeff Bridges, a No Kid Hungry spokesperson, for her commitment and contributions to help advance No Kid Hungry’s national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. “I like helping people. Growing up, I wanted to be a social worker and I feel like I’m a blend — a singer, social worker,” Pink told Variety ahead of her appearance. “I grew up with no money. My mom was an ER nurse, and my dad was an insurance salesman. It was hard at times and I don’t know anybody on this earth that hasn’t needed help at one time or another. And if you can help, you should.”

K.J. Yossman Actors and creatives from “Star Trek” and “Ghosts” are set to host Master Classes during the Banff World Media Festival in June, Variety can confirm. The two Paramount Global shows will be repped at the 44th edition of the festival, which is set to take place in Banff, Alberta, Canada from June 11-14. The “Star Trek” masterclass will feature “Star Trek: Discovery’s” Sonequa Martin-Green, “Star Trek: Lower Decks’” Tawny Newsome, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’” Ethan Peck plus Alex Kurtzman, who is an executive producer for the “Star Trek” franchise, and CBS Studios president David Stapf. They will all be on hand do discuss “ushering in the golden age of ‘Trek,’ growing the franchise, and introducing a new generation to this universe all while staying true to what made it a cultural phenomenon 56 years ago,” according to the festival.

Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert and Jo Dee Messina are among the performers set for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, producers announced today.

EXCLUSIVE: Anonymous Content, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates and United Agents have set former ITVS Creative Director Patrick Spence (Spy Among Friends) as Managing Director of their UK film and TV production joint venture.

And Just Like That…, the beloved but imperfect revival of Sex and the City.The official trailer for the upcoming second season has just been released, and those who have been watching since the beginning will see plenty to intrigue them.Set to premiere sometime in June, the new season of And Just Like That… reunites best friends Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) as they catch up with each other and their new, updated lives in New York City.According to the trailer, as season two begins, Carrie is keeping busy with her new romantic friend Franklyn, who was introduced in the finale of season one of the show.It looks like Miranda has moved in with Che, played by Sara Ramirez, who divided viewers when in the first installment.

Pete Davidson is taking over Good Housekeeping!

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills, 90210) has signed on to star in Ctrl Alt Del, an indie drama marking the feature directorial debut of Eastsiders creator Kit Williamson.

David Tennant is celebrating his 52nd birthday as his wife Georgia shared a gushing tribute to her husband.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Sydney Film Festival will present ‘Jane Campion – Her Way,’ a retrospective of films by the pioneering director. Campion herself will appear in conversation with David Stratton on June 10 at the 2023 edition of the festival, its 70th anniversary presentation (June 7-18). Held in association with ACMI and the National Film and Sound Archive, ‘Jane Campion – Her Way’ will encompass screenings of all nine of Campion’s feature films, as well as a selection of her short films. The selection will go on to tour the ACMI in Melbourne (June 15 – July 2) and at NFSA in Canberra (July 20-30). “For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. Campion is a ground-breaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.

For those beady eyed chart fans keeping an eye on the Official Chart First Look - which gives an exclusive glance at how the Official Singles Chart is shaping up at midweek mark - there might have been a bit of surprise yesterday. 

EXCLUSIVE: Beau Bridges (Dreamin’ Wild), Jessica Parker Kennedy (The Flash), Bruce Davison (1923) and Miguel Gabriel (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) will topline Camera, an indie drama from award-winning filmmaker Jay Silverman (Saving Paradise), which has wrapped production.

EXCLUSIVE: Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Gregg Henry (Guardians of the Galaxy), Adhir Kalyan (United States of Al), Reno Wilson (Good Girls) and Jamie Lee (Crashing) will topline Above The Line, an independent dark heist-comedy from director Jeffrey Scott Collins. Others set for roles include Dylan Playfair (Letterkenny), Jackson Pace (The Walking Dead), John Way (Sweet Sunshine), Suzy Nakamura (The West Wing) and Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy).