‘Golda’ Director Guy Nattiv Boards ‘The Criminals’ as Executive Producer (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has ordered a drama pilot from Kay Oyegun.In the untitled one-hour series, five therapists in Philadelphia find unique ways to solve problems in their patients’ lives while grappling with their own. Ellen Roman, the owner of the practice and a brilliant therapist, has her life shockingly turned upside down when she begins working with a sociopathic patient who may hold the key to the disappearance of her sister five years earlier.Oyegun will serve as the writer and executive producer on the pilot.

Ghostbusters and Kindergarten Cop, has died at the age of 75.According to Reitman’s family, the filmmaker and producer died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday (February 12) night at his home in Montecito, California.“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” Reitman’s children Jason, Catherine, and Caroline said in a joint statement.“We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 film, wrote on Twitter: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan’ Reitman.

EXCLUSIVE: Payman Benz (Black Monday) has been tapped to direct and serve as co-executive producer on four episodes, including the pilot, of Blockbuster, Netflix’s upcoming single-camera workplace comedy starring Randall Park.

Naman Ramachandran Simon Thomas, veteran ITV America unscripted and international producer, has been named president of ITV Entertainment and will also serve as ITV America’s head of international programming.Thomas, previously executive VP of current programming, west coast, for ITV America, has executive produced all U.S. seasons of “Love Island,” as well as new series “My Mom, Your Dad” and the upcoming “Rat in the Kitchen.” Earlier, he worked on “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” for U.K. broadcaster ITV, the original U.K.

Showtime Networks Inc. and Bleecker Street have entered into a new and exclusive three-year output agreement, effective in March.

K.J. Yossman Agnieszka Holland has signed on to direct a biopic of 20th century novelist Franz Kafka.Titled “Kafka,” the film will cover the writer’s life in a series of standalone vignettes, from his birth in 19th century Prague through to his death in Berlin just a few years after the close of World War I.Šárka Cimbalová, Sam Taylor and Mike Downey are set to produce the feature. “‘Kafka’ will be a dazzling kaleidoscopic mosaic of a film that dramatizes the famous writer’s life and imagination in a series of standalone vignettes that span Kafka’s life from his birth in pre-war Prague, up to his tragic death in Berlin in 1924 and into scenes from the future he envisioned,” the trio said in a statement.

upcoming biopic about former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.Mirren, 76, was called out by actress Maureen Lipman in January, who asserted that a Jewish actress should play the role of Meir.“The Queen” actress — who is not Jewish — broke her silence and told the Daily Mail that the ethnicity question was brought up in casting.“It was certainly a question that I had, before I accepted the role,” Mirren said.Meir was the first woman to hold top office in the Jewish state’s government. Mirren added that Meir “is a very important person in Israeli history.”“Golda” is set to premiere later this year and will chronicle her role as Prime Minister during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

K.J. Yossman Helen Mirren, who plays Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in an upcoming biopic, has broken her silence on the debate around her casting.“Golda,” which wrapped in December and also stars “Call My Agent’s” Camille Cottin, is directed by Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv (“Skin”).However, there was disquiet over the casting around the time the film was shooting in London, last winter, after photographs emerged of Mirren looking drastically different for the role.Actor Maureen Lipman (“The Pianist”) told Variety in Jan.: “Helen will be great.

Helen Mirren has been engulfed in controversy due to her latest role, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, in the upcoming biopic “Golda”.

While Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid been working for years with lots of acclaim (2011’s “Policeman” was very well-regarded and 2014’s “The Kindergarten Teacher” was so good, Maggie Gyllenhaal decided to produce and star in a 2018 remake), the filmmaker seemed to make an even bigger splash on the international scene with “Synonyms” which won the Golden Bear, and the FIPRESCI Award at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and introduced more audiences to wiry star Tom Mercier.

EXCLUSIVE: The Producers Guild of America and Google announces the two projects that will each receive $50,000 grants for the production of new short films as part of “The Short Film Project” presented by the Producers Guild of America and Google.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeJon Brockett has been tapped to serve as executive producer of the Screen Actors Guild Awards this year, joining returning EP Kathy Connell at the helm. Brockett had previously served as a producer on the show, and has been a part of the SAG Awards since its fifth show, while Connell has been with the ceremony since it began in 1995.Brockett and Connell are a part of this year’s production team, which the SAG Awards announced on Thursday. Not returning are Hazy Mills Productions’ Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner, who served as EPs with Connell of the in-person 2019 and 2020 events, as well as last year’s pre-taped virtual special.For 2022, as previously reported, the SAG Awards are shaking things up by moving venues, to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar.

EXCLUSIVE: The Farewell and Honey Boy producer Kindred Spirit is expanding with the appointment of Sam Intili who joins the company as Head of Creative after departing Animal Kingdom.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterMaster Chief is closer to landing a new commander.David Wiener (“Brave New World”) is in talks to take over showrunner duties on Paramount Plus’ “Halo,” executive producer Justin Falvey announced on Tuesday during the TCA panel for the hotly anticipated video game adaptation.Wiener’s status with the show remains in flux, as Paramount Plus has not yet officially renewed “Halo” for Season 2.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentShowrun by “An Education” director Lone Scherfig and anchored by the performance of “The Killing” star Sofie Gråbøl playing opposite “Kon-Tiki” lead Pål Sverre Hagen, “The Shift’s” key talent credentials mark it out immediately as one of potential standout Scandinavian series of 2022.Selection for both Berlinale Series and the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, announced Feb. 2, merely confirms that promise.Sales company Beta Film shared a trailer with Variety just before the series’ presentation at the Göteborg Festival’s TV Drama Vision on Feb. 2.In “The Shift,” Gråbøl plays Ella, a head midwife at Denmark’s best maternity ward who secretly yearning for her own.

Naman Ramachandran In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.Maria Schrader, an Emmy winner for directing the Netflix series “Unorthodox,” is also a Berlin Silver Bear winning actor for “Aimée & Jaguar” (1999). Her latest feature “I’m Your Man” follows a scientist (Maren Eggert, “Giraffe”) who agrees to live for three weeks with a humanoid robot (Dan Stevens, “Downton Abbey”) designed to make her happy.

West Side Story‘s Steven Spielberg, The Power of the Dog‘s Jane Campion, Dune‘s Denis Villeneuve, Licorice Pizza‘s Paul Thomas Anderson and Kenneth Branagh of Belfast have been nominated for the top feature film prize as the Directors Guild unveiled nominations Thursday for its 74th annual DGA Awards.

Kanye West (now legally known as "Ye") has announced the release date for his upcoming album Donda 2, as Pitchfork points out. The follow-up to his Album of the Year-nominated project is slated to be released on February 22, and will be executive produced by Future.

Annika Pham Stockholm-based Momento Film, the company behind “Tiny King for a Day” and Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market-bound work in progress “Dogborn,” has confirmed start of production and E.U. partners on Daniel Espinosa’s “Madame Luna,” its biggest project ever.Principal photography in Sicily and Calabria is set to begin May 5 on the €5 million ($5.6 million) refugee drama, penned by Maurizio Braucci (“Gomorrah”) and Suha Arraf (“Lemon Tree”) from an idea by Binyam Berhane.David Herdies is producing for Momento Film, with co-production partners Marco Alessi and Massimiliano Navarra of Italy’s Dugong Films, Peter Nadermann of Germany’s Nadcon and Katja Adomeit and Pål Røed of Denmark’s Adomeit Film.

Naman Ramachandran Spanish company Soul Pictures has boarded international sales on Indian filmmaker Prasun Chatterjee’s debut feature “Two Friends” (“Dostojee”).Set in 1992-93, when Hindu-Muslim tensions escalated in India in the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Bombay bomb blasts and percolated down to a remote village on the India-Bangladesh border, the film follows the friendship of two eight-year-old boys. Palash, the son of a Hindu Brahmin and Safikul, whose father is a Muslim weaver, are best friends, but fate intervenes.The film world premiered at the 2021 BFI London Film Festival, played at the Dhaka International Festival and will play at the Goteborg Film Festival from this Friday.