‘Hacks’ Production Paused For Duration Of Writers Strike; “There Was No Other Option,” EP Says – Update

EXCLUSIVE: Filming on Season 2 of the FX drama series The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges, is being suspended. We hear the crew of the series, produced by 20th Television, were alerted this morning of the decision to stop after today’s shoot, completing Episode 204.

Fast and Furious actor Vin Diesel has shared his support for the Hollywood writers' strike. The 55-year-old actor was seen alongside his Fast-X co-stars at a fundraiser at Universal Studios Hollywood for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor In the new Apple TV+ comedy noir series “High Desert,” Patricia Arquette and Matt Dillon play an off-and-on again couple so naturally that it seems like they must have starred together in some iconic 1990s indie movie. Surprisingly, they haven’t, but the off-kilter, sun-baked menace of films like Arquette starrers “True Romance” and “Lost Highway” permeates the new series, which is peopled with what Arquette calls “wild and weird creatures” in an environment that alternates between arid beauty and strip mall desolation. In “High Desert,” Arquette’s methadone-dependent, perennial wild child Peggy Newman could not be more different than her buttoned-up “Severance” character Harmony Cobel, whether she’s piloting a dune buggy around the desert, swinging from a chandelier in a Pioneertown Old West show or getting mixed up with another half-baked scam. Peggy, who recently lost her mother, needs to raise money to stay in their house. She hatches a plan to become a private investigator, getting mixed up in cases involving art forgeries and a missing guru’s wife and more. “High Desert” premiered on May 17, with new episodes rolling out weekly.

It was a great night for Disney as Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny had a smash debut in its World Premiere Thursday evening at the Cannes Film Festival where the June 30th release received a warm 5 minute standing ovation, especially for Harrison Ford in his swan song in the title role he started playing 40 + years ago. There noticeably to witness the French love and affection was none other than Disney boss Bob Iger attending his first-ever Cannes Festival (believe it or not) and even taking his own photos during the ovation for the movie. At the Carlton Beach after party I told him Deadline had just been the first to post its review, a rave (from our colleague Stephanie Bunbury) and you could see the absolute relief on his face. “You have made me very happy to hear that, ” he told me, and he meant it. All this came on the same day Disney took another shot at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by announcing the cancellation of a plan to move several thousand California employees to Florida. The Cannes respite must have been nice.

Just over a week ago, Bob Iger rhetorically asked the adversarial  Gov. Ron DeSantis if Florida really wanted Disney’s considerable business and tax revenue, or not. Now, without mentioning the would-be presidential contender nor his attacks on the company, the Mouse House has pulled some of that business and taxes revenues from the Sunshine State.

An unexpected consequence. Rachel Bilson claimed that she was recently fired from a job because of her comments about wanting to be “manhandled” by her sex partners.

The writers strike may bring about a disturbance in the force. The current work stoppage already has disrupted the production of several TV series; Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian may join the last.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Peabody Awards won’t be throwing a return celebration this year after all. The org has scrapped this years event, which would have been the first in-person Peabody ceremony since 2019 (before the pandemic), in the wake of the writers strike. Originally set to be held on Sunday, June 11, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, this also would have been the first Peabody Awards to be held in Southern California. “As an organization dedicated to honoring the most compelling and empowering stories in broadcasting and streaming media, we recognize and respect the position that many of this year’s Peabody Award winners find themselves in,” the org said in a statement. “Due to the ongoing uncertainty and meaningful challenges that exist industrywide, we have decided to cancel the 83rd annual Peabody Awards ceremony that was set to take place on June 11 in Los Angeles. Canceling the ceremony is extremely disappointing as this year’s 39 winners are immensely talented and have brought forth powerful stories that deserve to be celebrated.”

2023 Tony Awards to air as scheduled on June 11 amid the ongoing writers strike. The Hollywood Reporter reported Friday that the telecast of theater’s biggest night will not air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ as originally planned.

EXCLUSIVE: Password, the game show from Jimmy Fallon and hosted by Keke Palmer, is returning to NBC for a second season.

Nearly two weeks into the national writers' strike spearheaded by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), little progress has been made between both sides. The WGA has a litany of requests for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Rita Ora has revealed she planned her wedding to Taika Waititi in two days in a new interview with Glamour magazine. The Praise You singer wed the Oscar winner, 47, last summer in a low-key ceremony and is now opening up on the details of their nuptials, revealing how important it was to her to have Waititi’s children apart of it. Speaking about their special day, the Masked Singer judge revealed that the pair decided to skip the engagement and go straight to planning their vows.

Missing an olive branch? Prince Harry swiftly left London after dad King Charles III‘s coronation, but the royal family was optimistic that he might stick around.

Sue Radford shared a snap of her daughter Ellie, as the teenager celebrated her 18th birthday over the weekend, with fans pointing out the resemblance between Ellie and Victoria Beckham. Mum-of-22 Sue, 48, captioned the sweet snap: "Ellie all ready for her 18th birthday night out celebrations, happy happy birthday #stunner #birthdaygirl #celebrate." The 18-year-old sported a glam white dress with matching shoes and a pink 18th birthday sash, as she posed with her tongue sticking out in the family's kitchen.

@tomhanks knows the power of movies, and his new novel shares a behind-the-scenes look at the “back-breaking” work of making art — and why it’s all worth it in the end: “I can’t imagine a better way of spending two hours.” pic.twitter.com/fPtdNsr1Z8

Game of Thrones writer George R. R.

George R.R. Martin is expressing his full support for the Writers Guild and the ongoing strike. In a blog post, the Game of Thrones co-creator revealed the “The writers room on GoT spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night has closed for the duration.”

 is the latest television series to pause production amid the ongoing writers' strike in Hollywood.On Saturday, the Duffer Brothers, the duo behind the series and showrunners of the Netflix hit, took to Twitter to announce that production on the show's fifth and final season would have to come to a halt due to the strike.«Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike,» Matt and Ross Duffer tweeted.

Stranger Things has been halted due to the Hollywood writers’ strike.Matt and Ross Duffer (aka the Duffer Brothers), who are the brains behind the hit Netflix sci-fi drama, announced on Twitter yesterday (May 6) that it’s “not possible” for the show to go ahead currently. They also threw their weight behind the strike.“Duffers here,” the brothers began. “Writing does not stop when filming begins.

J. Kim Murphy “Evil” is wrapping up filming on Season 4 earlier than anticipated. After the set faced disruptions by picketing Writers Guild members on Friday, the Paramount+ series is now seeing a cast member take a leave of absence due to a personal family matter. As a result, production has wrapped early on the next season. A source close to the series would only confirm that the early end to filming was a result of the unnamed actor’s temporary exit from the show. However, no filming occurred on Friday, as Writers Guild members on strike demonstrated near the production. The fourth season of “Evil” was commissioned to include 10 episodes. It remains unclear whether the early end to production will impact those plans.