European Production Bosses Debate U.S. Agent Struggles – Series Mania

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterMarvel Studios’ “Ironheart” has found its directors.Sam Bailey (“Dear White People”) and Angela Barnes (“Blindspotting”) will divide directing duties for the Disney Plus series — which will be produced by Proximity, the production company co-founded by “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler.The series follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who invents a suit of armor similar to Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit.

Marvel’s highly-anticipated Ironheart series continues to gain momentum as the studio has set Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes to direct the series for Disney+. Ironheart will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and  creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. Deadline recently broke that Anthony Ramos would also be joining the cast. Deadline has also learned that Ryan Coogler’s production company, Proximity, has come on as producers.

EXCLUSIVE: John Burnham, a cornerstone talent and literary agent who has spent over 25 years at ICM Partners, is leaving to become a manager and partner at Atlas Artists and Atlas Literary, the Atlas Entertainment subsidiary. The exit is amicable, and Burnham will bring with him a client list of renowned writers, filmmakers and actors he will now represent as a manager.

SPOILER ALERT: The story below reveals major plot points from tonight’s episode of CBS’ The Equalizer.

“In the Heights” Star Anthony Ramos.In the comics, Williams is a Black teen prodigy attending MIT who builds her own suit by reverse-engineering Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit design. Williams is also a genius like Tony, if that’s not immediately clear.

Eboni K. Williams is spilling the tea about  amid Andy Cohen's announcement that the long-running series is going to be recast, and split into two series — one with legacy stars, and another to reflect a more diverse NYC.

Jessica Williams (Love Life) is set as a lead opposite Jason Segel and Harrison Ford in Shrinking, Apple TV+’s 10-episode comedy series written and executive produced by Segel and Ted Lasso‘s co-creator/executive producer/showrunner Bill Lawrence and star/writer/producer Brett Goldstein. James Ponsoldt has signed on to direct multiple episodes, including the first, and executive produce the project, from Warner Bros Television.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJessica Williams has signed on to star opposite Jason Segel and Harrison Ford in the Apple comedy series “Shrinking,” Variety has learned.In addition, James Ponsoldt has boarded the show to direct multiple episodes and executive produce. That marks a reunion for Ponsoldt and Segel, who previously worked together on the film “The End of the Tour.”“Shrinking” follows Jimmy (Segel), a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks.

Ironheart TV series will be the first to bring a transgender character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The TV series coming to Disney+ has already cast Dominique Thorne (Judas And The Black Messiah, If Beale Street Could Talk) as genius inventor Riri Williams in Ironheart, an original series about the creator of the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man.Now, a casting call seen by POC Culture says the studio is looking for a “Black, Latina or Afro-Latina transgender woman who is around 18-22 years old” to play a character who is “unapologetically nerdy” with a “mystical bent and unique sense of humour”.Ironheart is expected to release in 2023, though no confirmation has been given.Over the years Marvel has slowly introduced LGBTQ+ characters within its universe.Last year, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals film introduced the first openly gay superhero in the MCU with Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry. And Loki’s fluid gender identity and bisexuality were confirmed in his popular Disney+ series last year.Tessa Thompson’s character of Valkyrie has also been confirmed as part of the community.

William Earl Estelle Harris, who memorably played George’s mother Estelle Costanza on “Seinfeld” and was the indelible voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” franchise, has died at 93 years old, her representative Michael Eisenstadt confirmed to Variety.Harris was best known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, forever cemented by her role as the mother of George (Jason Alexander) in “Seinfeld,” where she appeared on 27 episodes.

Serena Williams and Chrissy Teigen gather up for a group photo during the Frida Mom Panel event on Thursday afternoon (March 31) in Miami, Fla.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe British remake of “Call My Agent!” is finally heading to Amazon’s Prime Video next month.Titled “Ten Percent,” the show hails from BAFTA-winning “W1A” and “Twenty Twelve” writer John Morton and, much like its French counterpart, follows a ragtag group of talent agents at a fictional British agency. And as evidenced in a new trailer for the show (watch below), creators have made good on early promises to depict the U.K.

Tammy Williams is majority owner of a new television studio in Atlanta. Up until now, Tyler Perry was the only Black person to own studio space in the state, but this deal makes her the first Black woman to own a $135 million studio and post-production facility.

More Baby Shark is on the way, it was announced during Nickelodeon‘s Upfront Presentation on Thursday, as plans are underway for a feature-length movie for Paramount+ to be released in 2023.

BBC has confirmed that four of its biggest dramas that have aired over the last year are returning. The Tourist, The Responder, Vigil and Time are all set to make a comeback with a second series after each drama was a hit with viewers.

Naman Ramachandran “Is bigger generally better?” was one of the hot button topics being debated at a Series Mania panel on Wednesday and the answer in general was there is always room for growth in a rapidly expanding market, albeit with some caveats. Weighing in on the topic were the heads of Europe-based companies, each of which operate several labels across territories.