Detective Drama ‘Grace’ In The Works At CBS From DeVon Franklin As Producer Reups Overall Deal With CBS Studios

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Warner Bros. is going back to the Matrix. The studio announced that a fifth “Matrix” movie is in development.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal TV has acquired the rights to Liza Palmer’s latest book Family Reservations, which it will develop at NBC with writer/EP Ilene Chaiken and Keshet Studios.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Searchlight Pictures has signed a first-look deal with Olivia Colman and Ed Sinclair’s South of the River Pictures. Under the new pact, the specialty studio, which has worked with Colman on “The Favourite” and “Empire of Light,” will develop and produce feature-length motion pictures with the production company. South of the River Pictures was founded by Colman, Sinclair and their long-time partner in crime, Tom Carver, to develop and produce original scripted comedies and dramas with “an authored sensibility.” Colman and Sinclair have been married since 2001.

Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles classic ‘Blackbird’, included on her new album ‘Cowboy Carter’, has prompted a lot of reactions among fans.‘Cowboy Carter’ was released today (March 29), her eighth studio album and the second in an expected trilogy that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.The second track on the album is a cover of the 1968 Beatles song, which she has renamed ‘Blackbiird’. Given the album’s embrace of country influences – including a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and appearances from Willie Nelson and Linda Martell – and its themes concerning race in American music history, the song has been chosen pointedly.Listen to ‘Blackbiird’ here:Paul McCartney wrote ‘Blackbird’ during the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, just weeks after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

The BBC has revealed the guest cast for the return of the hit drama Shetland.

EXCLUSIVE: After a decade at Paramount Global and its predecessors ViacomCBS and Viacom, Darren Star is making a move. In a competitive situation, the prolific TV creator of such shows as Beverly Hills, 90210, Sex and the City and Emily In Paris, has signed a big multi-year overall deal at Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. No one is commenting on the size of the pact, but I hear it is in the eight figures and in the top tier of premium overall deals; certainly the biggest we have seen since the end of the strikes.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large When NBC recently resurrected its long-dormant “Deal or No Deal,” it came with a new format: “Deal or No Deal Island.” The game show was originally a “shiny floor” in-studio contest where players had to guess how much money was inside a large briefcase. The updated iteration takes things outdoors, raising the stakes by adding interpersonal dynamics, physical challenges and survival to the mix. At producer Endemol Shine North America, they call adding a fresh spin to existing IP the “ESNA twist.” And it’s become a hallmark for CEO Sharon Levy, who took over the shingle — part of Banijay Americas — a little more than a year ago.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver’s Point Grey Pictures has entered into a first-look deal with Lionsgate Television. News of the deal comes just after it was announced production has begun on the Apple TV+ series “The Studio.” The show, which is set at a legacy Hollywood movie studio, is produced by Point Grey and Lionsgate TV with Rogen set to star as well as write, direct, and executive produce alongside Goldberg. Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, and Bryan Cranston are also among the show’s cast.

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel) today announced the launch of her family, faith and lifestyle network MergeTV on James DuBose’s In The Black Network, a streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories.

got her start when she was five, which makes her one of the few actors who has successfully transitioned from child star to adult actor without any sort of break during her formative years.And yet, even though Grace has achieved critical and professional acclaim in her mid-teens (she was nominated for an Emmy in 2021 for her role as Esther Keyes in The Handmaid's Tale), most fans—and even some of her peers—still see her as a young kid, best known for when she starred in Gifted with Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer, or I, Tonya, with Allison Janney and Margot Robbie. She's as likely to get “You've grown up before our eyes!” or “Stop growing up so fast” as much as “How do I know you?” or “You've been in everything!”"I'm like, ‘What do you mean?’ and 'What do you want me to do [about it]?" Grace tells Glamour from a New York City hotel room the night after the premiere of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, where she reprises her role as Phoebe Spengler for the second time.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Happy Gilmore 2″ is apparently being developed by Adam Sandler, and a script even exists. Shooter McGavin actor Christopher McDonald revealed the news during a radio interview on “Audacy’s 92.3 The Fan.” McDonald said he had a recent run-in with Sandler, who unexpectedly pulled out the first draft for a sequel to their 1996 sports comedy classic. “I saw Adam [Sandler] about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,'” McDonald said.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Soo Hugh has signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple TV+ and Media Res. Under the deal, Hugh and her Moonslinger Productions banner will create, write, and produce content for the streaming service and the TV studio and movie production company. “For the last six years, I’ve been fortunate to call Apple and Media Res my creative family,” Hugh said.

Soo Hugh is staying in business with Apple and Media Res after striking an overall deal with the two companies.

On Friday 15th March, fund-raising TV spectacular Comic Relief will return for Red Nose Day with brand new sketches from legendary comedy stars, famous actors, and a host of epic challenges. Olivia Colman, Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts and Kate Winslet are just a few of the famous faces that will appear in new sketches for Comic Relief's Night of TV.

Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on Meghan Markle's latest business venture, American Riviera Orchard, amid concerns that it may violate the agreement she made with the late Queen Elizabeth. The Duchess of Sussex's new project, which some believe is a revival of her old lifestyle blog, The Tig, launched with a promotional video showing Meghan baking in her kitchen and caring for her dog at her large Montecito home.

EXCLUSIVE: Drops of God creator Quoc Dang Tran is getting into business with HBO. The writer-producer has signed a two-year overall deal with the premium cable network to create and executive produce content exclusive to HBO. 

EXCLUSIVE: Apple TV+ is staying in business with one of the men behind its latest sports docuseries The Dynasty: New England Patriots.

Paramount+ may have culled a raft of international originals last month but UK commissioning appears to be continuing apace.

Since leaving her full-time role on The Only Way is Essex in 2015 after five years on the show, Lauren Goodger has become a mother, and she's a "calmer, more humble" person today.The 37 year old has been back to filming with a couple of old faces including mum of four Amy Childs, and a host of newer, younger reality stars. Speaking to OK! about her comeback, Lauren revealed she felt like the "mother" when she went back on the Essex set. "I wasn’t nervous because TOWIE’s sort of my home, but I’ve been in a mum bubble so the first day of filming was a complete shock,” she says.