Faith-Based Impact Network Moves Into Entertainment With Chief Creative Officer, Detroit Production Facility (EXCLUSIVE)

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterABC has passed on placing series orders for the “LA Law” sequel and Jo Koy comedy “Josep” after both pilots were reviewed by the network, Variety has learned.The Disney-owned broadcaster is interested in potentially redeveloping the Koy project in the future, but “LA Law” will not be moving forward. On Friday, ABC picked up dramas “Alaska” and “The Rookie” spinoff “The Rookie: Feds” to series, as well as comedy “Not Dead Yet.” Four other drama pilots, “Will Trent,” “The Company You Keep,” the Untitled Kay Oyegun drama and an untitled National Park Service project, are all still in contention and will be up for consideration going into July.Starring returning cast members Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen reprising their original roles as Jonathan Rollins and Arnie Becker, the pilot for the new iteration of the Emmy-winning series “LA Law” features familiar characters working alongside new ones on the most hot button issues of the day.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC has opted not to move forward with its comedy pilot “Hungry,” which originally starred Demi Lovato who pulled out of the project and was replaced by “Modern Family” star Ariel Winter, Variety has learned.The multi-cam follows friends who belong to a food-issues group as they help each other look for love, success and the perfect thing in the fridge that’s going to make it all better.Lovato had been attached to the Universal television-produced “Hungry” as executive producer and star for almost a year while it was in development at NBC, but exited for scheduling reasons just as the pilot was about to start shooting in March. She was quickly replaced by Winter.Along with Winter, the “Hungry” pilot also starred Valerie Bertinelli, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Ryan McPartlin, Alex Brightman and Ashley D.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Somebody Feed Phil” has been renewed for Season 6 at Netflix ahead of its fifth season premiere, Variety has learned exclusively.The five-episode “Somebody Feed Phil” Season 5, which debuts May 25, was filmed back to back with Season 6, which also consists of five episodes.“We filmed 10 episodes in the sweet spot between Delta and Omicron. Remember that? So from August to January, we pretty much filmed everything,” Rosenthal told Variety.

EXCLUSIVE: James Scott McKnight, who spent seven years as Chief Creative Officer at J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, overseeing the Harry Potter franchise, is stepping into his own universe.

Plans for a new green hydrogen production facility as well as a warehouse and storage unit on the Trafford and Salford border have been tabled. If planning permission was granted for Peel NRE Limited, the land west of Manchester Road could see a 19,000sqm industrial warehouse and storage facility in addition to the green hydrogen production facility in the quarry to the north.

Michael Bassick and Michael Laundon’s M2 MediaPost is teaming with Pillango Productions to launch a new state-of-the-art post-production facility in Pecs, Hungary. The 1600 square foot facility will service sound and picture for television, streaming, feature film and commercials in the busy Central European hub.

Naman Ramachandran Rohit Shetty, the filmmaker known for his Singham cop franchise, and Reliance Entertainment, will produce a biopic on one of Mumbai’s most revered top cops and former commissioner of police, Rakesh Maria.The biopic will be based on Maria’s 2020 memoir “Let Me Say it Now” and will be mentored by Shetty. A director and cast have yet to be finalized.As deputy commissioner of police (traffic) in 1993, Maria cracked the Bombay serial blasts case. He was later deputy commissioner of police (crime) and then joint commissioner of police (crime), of the Mumbai police.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterGeekWire co-founder Jonathan Sposato has launched JoySauce Network, a new ad-supported multimedia platform aimed at the “American Asian” audience and its allies, Variety has learned exclusively.The site, which went live Wednesday morning, boasts “multiple channels of vibrant digital programming dedicated to celebrating both new and established American Asian talent.” JoySauce Network notes the use of “American Asian rather than Asian American” is its way of “shifting the center of gravity, while recognizing that each of us chooses how the pieces of our identities fit together.”Per JoySauce Network, “Viewers can expect unscripted and scripted streaming shows, licensed movies from respected directors and writers in the Asian diaspora, stand-up comedy specials from emerging talent, documentaries, and more in a weekly episode format. The site will also publish original editorial from some of the community’s most talented writers, aiming to represent the full spectrum of American Asian narratives, covering culturally relevant topics in lifestyle, food, entertainment, pop culture, education, romance and more.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorXTR, the award-winning nonfiction company behind “They Call Me Magic” on Apple TV Plus and the Oscar-nominated “Ascension,” announced its acquisition of a 30,000 square-foot studio located off Sunset Boulevard in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, just west of downtown.The new XTR Studios space includes production and post-production facilities, a sound stage, recording studio and offices. The acquisition represents a key milestone for the documentary industry as audience growth and business catch up to narrative.“This is an incredible time for documentaries where there is more demand than ever before.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBCUniversal Television and Streaming has promoted Orit Blankrot to senior vice president of entertainment business and legal affairs, Variety has learned exclusively.In her new role, Blankrot, who most recently served as vice president of entertainment business and legal affairs for NBCU’s TV and streaming arm, has increased oversight of business and legal affairs for NBCUniversal’s syndication studios. This includes Stamford (Conn.) Media Center’s first-run programming, E! News and co-productions for distribution on both internal and external platforms.As SVP of the department, she will report to Inge Van Herle, the head of entertainment business and legal affairs for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Crown Media Family Networks has upped Hallmark veteran Sabrina Wiewel to chief operating officer. She’ll assume responsibility for Crown Media’s corporate strategy and business development, and will lead the company’s non-cable business units, including SVOD, international, publishing, home entertainment, and licensing.

There’s a new member of one of Major League Baseball’s most exclusive clubs. Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera joined the 3,000 hits/500 home runs club today with a first inning single against the Colorado Rockies.

Carson Burton Trioscope Studios, the entertainment company that created the hybrid animation technology used in “The Liberator,” has hired Chester Rodeheaver to serve as chief financial officer for the company. Brian Lavin and Nikka Duarte were also promoted to executive vice president of development and manager of development, respectively.Rodeheaver recently joined Trioscope from Pont Capital, a strategy and financial consulting firm that he founded with offices in Miami and Dubai. He has advised on a variety of startups, private-equity firms, family offices, investment companies and real-estate investors with his expertise on investment funds, real estate, entrepreneurial strategy, entertainment and finance.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery+ is set to launch a new docuseries focused on Black food history in America from producer Viola Davis, featuring scholar and cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams as host, Variety has learned exclusively.The four-episode show, titled “Hungry for Answers,” will follow Williams as she travels the country, “uncovering the fascinating, essential, and often untold Black stories behind some of America’s classic and emblematic food and spirits,” per the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer.

Imax has promoted Natasha Fernandes to the role of Chief Financial Officer, effective May 1. A 15-year veteran of the company’s finance team, Fernandes most recently served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer. She succeeds Joseph Sparacio, who served as the company’s CFO from 2007-2016, and rejoined Imax last year as interim CFO.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeU.S.-based Spanish lingo programmer Estrella Media has sealed a two-year deal with Mexico-based broadcasting powerhouse TV Azteca to jointly create, produce and air new series on both sides of the border.The companies are set to announce some of those offerings next month during the 2022 IAB NewFronts on May 5, followed by Estrella Media’s upfront presentation on May 9. But the new partnership, set to be announced on Tuesday, includes creating more than 600 hours of original programming for both the U.S. and Mexico, as well as production of existing series and the licensing of library content for air in both countries.

Addie Morfoot ContributorThis Machine, the production company founded by veteran documentary director and producer R.J. Cutler, has bolstered its development and production team with four new hires.Cutler, the Emmy Award-winning director behind docus including “The September Issue,” “Belushi” and most recently with “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” launched This Machine in 2020 with an investment from Los Angeles-based Industrial Media.Cutler has named Sally Rosen Phillips as vice president, creative; Qadriyyah Shamsid-Deen as director, creative; Jim Czarnecki, senior vice president, production, and Ian Egos, vice president.

millions and millions” of dollars to get it made), the biopic follows Stuart Long, aka Father Stu (played by Wahlberg), an amateur boxer with a rough past who turned to Priesthood after a life-changing motorcycle accident, becoming a beloved figure of faith in his community even as he dealt with a devastating health condition and skeptical officials within the Catholic Church.It may have taken years to get made, but “Father Stu” is now available — just in time for Easter weekend — and if you’re wondering how you can watch it right now, read below.“Father Stu” arrived in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, April 13. You can find showtimes and book tickets at a theater near you on the official website.No, Sony Pictures debuted “Father Stu” exclusively in theaters on its April 13 release date, which means — for now — the only way to watch the film is in a physical theater.We’ll update this space when we have home video and streaming details.Looking forward, you can likely expect to see the film streaming on Netflix first.

Jack White took to the field at Comerica Park in Detroit yesterday (April 8) to perform the US national anthem – you can watch his performance below.The former White Stripes frontman played an instrumental version of the anthem before the Detroit Tigers’ baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. The performance coincided with the release of his fourth solo album, ‘Fear Of The Dawn’.For the performance, White was backed by bassist Dominic Davis, keyboardist Quincy McCrary, and drummer Daru Jones – the same trio set to accompany White on his ‘Supply Chain Issues Tour’.It comes after White previously threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Tigers game against the White Sox back in 2014.You can see White’s performance below:Native Detroiter Jack White performs the national anthem on Opening Day.