Middle East-based distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has joined the team of producers on satirical coming-of-age comedy feature Abdelinho. Front Row will also represent all MENA rights. International sales are with Urban Sales.
21.04.2022 - 21:17 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Utkarsh Ambudkar is on a hot streak.
The actor is the star of CBS’ breakout comedy Ghosts, which wraps up its first season tonight, and appeared in Hulu’s Theranos drama series The Dropout.
He has now set a feature film that he conceived, co-wrote, produced and is co-starring in at Disney+.
World’s Best tells the story of a young math kid who vows to become the world’s best MC.
Roshan Sethi, who made his feature directorial debut with 7 Days, the 2022 Independent Spirit Award winner for Best First Feature, directs. Principal photography starts in May.
It co-stars Space Force’s Punam Patel, who Ambudkar worked with on Netflix’s Special and also played his sister on Ghosts, and Manny Magnus, who stars in Amazon’s I Want You Back.
World’s Best follows 12-year-old Prem, played by Magnus, as he navigates life as that junior high kid in the high school math class. After his best friend Jerome abandons him for the popular group, Prem never feels more alone, despite the support of his mother Priya, played by Patel). But when Prem discovers that his late father Suresh, played by Ambudkar, was a great rapper, his new destiny is sealed. With renewed purpose (and some helpful, albeit imaginary, appearances from Suresh), Prem vows to break out of the mold of “math kid” and become the world’s best MC.
Ambudkar initially pitched the idea to Disney’s Sean Bailey in February 2020 and wrote the feature with Jessica Jones writer Jamie King. The pair have written together for a number of years after King would go to watch Ambudkar battle rap at NYC’s now defunct Leopard Lounge, which appears in the film.
Ambudkar is also collaborating with a number of friends. Thomas Kail, who scored a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Film with 2020’s
Middle East-based distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has joined the team of producers on satirical coming-of-age comedy feature Abdelinho. Front Row will also represent all MENA rights. International sales are with Urban Sales.
Neil Patrick Harris’ return to series television is coming this summer.
Cristela Alonzo is returning to Netflix for her second comedy special. Middle Classy, a follow-up to her 2016 comedy special, Lower Classy, will premiere globally on Netflix on June 28.
Joey King will be starring in another Hulu limited series!
Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered a limited series adaptation of the Georgia Hunter novel “We Were the Lucky Ones” with Joey King attached to star, Variety has learned.Hulu has given the show an eight episode order. It is inspired by the true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive—and to reunite.Erica Lipez is adapting the book for the screen and will executive produce. Thomas Kail will direct and executive produce via Old 320 Sycamore.
Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has given a straight-to-series order to a semi-autobiographical comedy series starring Pete Davidson, Variety has learned.The series, title “Bupkis,” was first reported as being on the market back in March, with Peacock acquiring it in a competitive situation. Davidson serves as a writer and executive producer on the show in addition to starring. The half-hour comedy is described as a heightened, fictionalized version of Davidson’s real life.
Rob Lowe and his brother Chad are sharing the screen!
EXCLUSIVE: Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) and Will Sasso (Loudermilk) have signed on to star in The Throwback, an indie comedy marking the feature directorial debut of Mario Garcia, which is heading into production in Tampa next month.
Amy Nicholson To Lily Tomlin, getting her hand and footprints embedded outside the TCL Chinese Theatre is a joke — literally. Her 1982 television special “Lily for President?” kicked off with Tomlin in a limousine en route to sidewalk immortalization before a car accident re-routes her to instead run for higher office. In real life, Tomlin will receive the honor on April 22, as part of the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Film Festival, taking place this year April 21-24.As for that TV special, spoiler alert: Tomlin wins the White House.
renewed for a sophomore season.And obviously, Hamill is on everyone’s mind as a potential guest star. As Ambudkar puts it: “If we could get Master Skywalker, to come to the mansion for whatever reason, that would be so cool.”
Horror network Shudder has acquired the rights to The Sadness, directed by Rob Jabbaz and shot on location in Taiwan. The film is produced by David Barker and executive produced by Li-Cheng Huang, while Eunice Cheng associate produced for Machi Xcelsior Studios.
EXCLUSIVE: Sierra McCormick (American Horror Stories), Jade Pettyjohn (Big Sky), Brenna D’Amico (Descendants franchise), Gianni DeCenzo (Cobra Kai) and Bentley Green (61st Street) have signed on to star in Burnouts, a supernatural thriller from writer-director Tim Donner, which is heading into production in Atlanta this summer.
Glamorous, starring Fuller House’s Miss Benny, was previously in the works as a pilot for The CW. It has now been handed a series order at Netflix.
ITV to make a whole series of the programme, which sees celebrities perform a musical number to impress judges. Fans had been expecting to see a new episode after six new performers took to the stage last week.
Many fans of the hit ITV show All Star Musicals have been looking to learn a little more about some of the famous faces appearing in the show, including judge Samantha Barks.
EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Officer Exchange, a big action comedy project, just sold to Amazon Studios. Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad star John Cena is starring in a script by Ben Zazove and Evan Turner. The project is currently in development.
Rob Lowe will be starring in a new Netflix series with one of his sons!