Former Netflix Executive Tania Zarak Quintana Joins Iceland’s Truenorth to Boost Originals Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

Anna Marie de la Fuente Spanish indie production shingle Nadie es Perfecto, producer of Alex de la Iglesia’s hit comedy “Perfectos Desconocidos,” has tapped former Netflix exec Juan Mayne to join the company as it revs up its slate with a slew of new projects. These include two pics in pre-production: “La navidad en sus manos,” in co-production with Bowfinger and Esto También Pasará, directed by Joaquín Mazón, starring Ernesto Sevilla and with a special collaboration from actor-filmmaker Santiago Segura, who has worked with de la Iglesia and Guillermo del Toro; and “Locomía,” directed by Kike Maillo, starring Jaime Lorente (“Money Heist,” “Elite”) and Alberto Ammann (“Lope,” “El silencio del cazador”).

Brent Lang Executive Editor By slashing prices, Mitch Lowe transformed MoviePass into a supernova.   The ticketing service, which had ambitions to become the Netflix of moviegoing, had languished for years until Lowe took the reins in 2017 as Helios and Matheson, an analytics firm, purchased a controlling stake. At the same time, Lowe announced that for a monthly fee of $9.95, users could now watch a movie-a-day in cinemas — less than the cost of a single ticket in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. It was an offer that was too good to refuse, pushing MoviePass to 2 million customers in roughly six months. But it was also a risky proposition, one that caused the company to burn through tens of millions of dollars and collapse in spectacular fashion just two years later.  

LeVar Burton was asked about the process of auditioning to be the new host of Jeopardy at a Q&A panel at Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon this past weekend.

Key and Peele are reuniting!

Wendell & Wild.Directed by filmmaker Henry Selick, and written by Selick and Jordan Peele, Wendell & Wild followsscheming demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele), who enlist the aid of Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross) -- a tough teen with a load of guilt -- to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other.The animated fantasy defies the law of life and death, all told through the handmade artistry of stop motion.Angela Bassett, James Hong, Tamara Smart, Natalie Martinez, Tantoo Cardinal, Gabrielle Dennis, Igal Naor, David Harewood, Maxine Peake, Ramona Young, Sam Zelaya, Seema Virdi, Gary Gatewood and Ving Rhames also star in the film.Wendell & Wild is one of several titles coming to spook Netflix viewers this year, along with Mike Flanagan's new series The Midnight Club, season two of , the previously teased and more. Wendell & Wild premieres Oct.

The Crown.  She and an actor playing Prince William were both picked for the coveted Netflix roles after submitting self-taped auditions for a casting call put out on social media.  The couple now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will appear in semi-fictionalised form in the Netflix drama, which will follow the young William through the most traumatic period of his life as a teenager to meeting his wife.

Michael Schumacher is in “the best of hands” as he continus to recover from his horrific skiing accident, says ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt - who revealed he has seen the German three times a week on some occasions. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has not been seen publicly since suffering a near-fatal brain injury while skiing in December 2013 in Meribel, France. His wife Corinna has insisted on protecting Schumacher’s privacy in the eight-and-a-half years since, with his medical condition shrouded in secrecy as he continues to recover at home in Switzerland.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korea’s leading entertainment group CJ ENM has appointed Steve W. Chung as its global chief growth officer. He will be based in Los Angeles. Previously, Chung served as chief growth officer at Fox Corporation. Prior to that Chung was the founder and CEO of Frankly, a publicly-traded media tech company based in San Francisco. He was also a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and an executive producer in China.  Chung currently serves as a board member of the non-profit National Asia Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) and received his B.A from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Anna Delvey's former friend Rachel DeLoache Williams is suing Netflix for defamation over her portrayal in ‘Inventing Anna’. The former Vanity Fair staffer has launched legal action against the streaming service - who brought the story of the scammer socialite and how she fooled New York society into thinking she was a German heiress to life with showrunner Shonda Rhimes - after she alleges they invaded her privacy and defamed her through her depiction on the mini-series that starred Julia Garner and Anna Chlumsky.

partnership with Microsoft on their AVOD plans, which is an unexpected pairing that looks to be a strategic decision on Netflix’s part to forgo higher revenue in order to maximize new areas of business and, crucially, protect its data.So far, no specifics have been given in terms of pricing or whether there would be multiple tiers offered for the ad-based plans.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Netflix, eager to spark better relationships with Madison Avenue after years of avoiding them, has lured two senior executives away from Snap to do so. The streaming giant has hired Jeremi Gorman, Snap’s chief business officer, and Peter Naylor, its vice president of sales, to start making outreach to top advertisers in a bid to launch an ad-supported tier for subscribers who may be looking for new value propositions amid a roiling stock market and as competition for broadband-savvy consumers has grown more intense. “Jeremi’s deep experience in running ad businesses and Peter’s background in leading ad sales teams together will be key as we expand membership options for consumers through a new ad-supported offering,” said Greg Peters, Netflix’s chief operating officer, in a statement.

Angelique Jackson Netflix’s restructuring continues with the impending departure of one of the streamer’s top film executives, Tendo Nagenda. The veteran executive, who joined Netflix from Disney in 2018, shepherded such movies as “The Harder They Fall,” “Da 5 Bloods” and the upcoming “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” for the streamer. Variety can confirm that Nagenda’s last day in his role will be Sept. 1. “Tendo joined the company four years ago and helped to build out our studio film team, who delivered movies such as ‘The Harder They Fall,’ ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,’ ‘The Old Guard,’ ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘Hustle,'” Scott Stuber, Netflix’s head of global films, said in a statement. “He was integral in our evolution from acquiring and licensing films to making movies ourselves. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Tayshia Adams may be a former Bachelorette, but she's not tuning into the current season of the show. ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the 31-year-old reality star at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, and Adams revealed why she hasn't been watching Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey's journey for love.«I'm definitely invested more so [in] talking to the girls behind the scenes,» she told ET. «I can't really watch the show too much.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBrussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired Laura Baumeister’s feature debut “Daughter of Rage” ahead of its world premiere at Toronto and San Sebastian film festivals. Baumeister previously directed the shorts “Isabel im Winter” which played at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2014 and “Ombligo De Agua” which screened in Rotterdam and Clermont-Ferrand in 2018.

Manori Ravindran International EditorReese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has launched an unscripted unit in the U.K.The Candle Media-backed studio has appointed former Channel 4 head of features and formats Sarah Lazenby to lead the division as executive VP of unscripted U.K. She will report into Hello Sunshine’s head of unscripted Sara Rea, who joined the studio following the acquisition of her company SKR Productions.As part of the expansion, Hello Sunshine Unscripted U.K.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticIt’s all too easy to understand the appeal of a show like “Echoes” to a streaming service like Netflix. From creator Vanessa Gazy and showrunners Quentin Peeples and Brian Yorkey (“13 Reasons Why”), “Echoes” feels like “Firefly Lane” and “Behind Her Eyes” collided to create a melodrama as deeply strange as it is quickly ingestible. Its seven episodes fly by fast enough to distract from the fact that they only barely make sense.

Ed Skrein showcases his musical side in the upcoming Netflix film “I Used to be Famous”, and viewers now have a first look at the trailer.

Barmageddon firm White Label Productions has hired Netflix physical production exec Katie Judkins and promoted Stephanie Wagner to Senior Vice President level.