Hannah Waddingham & Octavia Spencer Team Up for Action-Adventure TV Series for Prime Video

2024 has a ton of anticipated movies on its release calendar, but none have the same mystique as Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis.” The long-gestating, self-financed titan of a film went into production in November 2022, wrapped shooting in March 2023, and …well, since then, FFC has been editing, tinkering, etc. After Coppola stated last May that the film wouldn’t reach audiences in 2023, many wondered if the director had hit a couple of snares in post-production.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Amazon has tapped a Disney veteran to lead its new push into the streaming ad wars. Jeremy Helfand, who rose from a position at Hulu to supervise all advertising sales across Disney’s interactive businesses will take the reins as a vice president and head of sales efforts for Amazon’s Prime Video, the executive disclosed in a post on Linkedin on Thursday.

Tom Cruise.Waddingham has been filming scenes alongside the actor for the concluding instalment of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, which will arrive in cinemas in 2025.The actress and TV presenter had plenty of praise for Cruise when he was brought up in her appearance on ITV series James Martin’s Saturday Morning on Christmas Day.Having spent “five intense days” with Cruise on the USS George HW Bush fighter carrier, Waddingham told TV chef Martin: “I have to say, I have a real problem with anybody that goes at him now.”She continued: “He is without doubt one of the loveliest and encouraging, positive and inspiring human beings I have ever met. Isn’t he gorgeous? I have no time for anyone saying anything about him.”Despite Cruise being held in high esteem in Hollywood, he has faced controversy over his off-screen behaviour throughout the years.In 2005, he made headlines after jumping on the sofa during an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s chat show to declare his love for then girlfriend Katie Holmes and, that same year, labelled the practice of psychiatry “pseudo-science” in a quarrel with Matt Lauer.He has also faced particular backlash over his longtime association with the Church of Scientology.

Saturday Morning,” she said, “I have to say… I’ve got a real problem with anyone that goes at him now.“Having spent five days with him intensely on the [ship USS George H.W. Bush], no fineries, all this mucking in… he is without doubt one of the most lovely, encouraging, positive, inspiring human beings I have ever met.

Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham has “no time” for those who would denigrate Tom Cruise.

Hannah Waddingham is set to share the screen with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 8, and filming with him left her with a new perspective of the movie star.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Hannah Waddingham appeared on the Christmas episode of ITV’s “James Martin’s Saturday Morning” (via The Independent) and revealed she’s ready to defend Tom Cruise against his critics after working with the Oscar nominee on the upcoming “Mission: Impossible 8.” It was announced in March that the “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner was joining Cruise and the “Mission: Impossible” gang in the eighth installment, which was originally designed as the second part to “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” Waddingham’s “Mission: Impossible 8” character has not yet been revealed, but she said she spent five intense days with Cruise filming the action tentpole on the USS George H.W. Bush fighter carrier.

Kate Middleton and Prince William enjoyed a series of outstanding acts at the Royal Variety Performance which aired on Sunday evening.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer are teaming up to kick some butt together on TV. The two actors have signed on to star in an action-adventure series based on an original idea by exec producer Tessa Coates (“Feel Good,” “Ladhood”) for Amazon’s Prime Video. Skydance Television is behind the show, along with Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream shingle and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment (which has a first-look deal with Skydance; this is the first project to come out of that pact).

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Truth Be Told) and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) are set to star in and executive produce a new comedy series from creator Tessa Coates (Feel Good). In a highly competitive situation with multiple bidders, the as-yet-untitled series from Skydance Television has landed at Prime Video with a straight-to-series order.

When They See Us, Moonlight), and is created, written, and executive produced by filmmaker Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), who directed all seven episodes. Jerome also serves as an executive producer.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events “The View” co-host Sunny Hoston is taking a little more time to enjoy the TV milleu. The multi-hyphenate is in the early stages of developing her first novel, “Summer on the Bluff,” as a television series for Amazon MGM Studios. The series will be produced Hostin’s Sunny Hostin Productions, Amazon MGM Studios and Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE: Cameras are rolling in London on the action thriller Bad Day At The Office from filmmaker Chee Keong Cheung (The Experiment, Redcon-1) with John Hannah (The Mummy), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill), and Tamer Hassan (Layer Cake) signed on to star. 

EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video has given a series order to Obsession, a drama based on Catherine Ryan Howard’s international bestselling novel 56 Days. It hails from James Wan’s Atomic Monster as well as Amazon MGM Studios, which earlier today landed its most ever Golden Globe nominations, 16, ten of them for television.

In the current media landscape, every pre-existing piece of IP with any semblance of brand awareness can take to updating. The latest is a new television series expansion of 2005’s “Mr.

Saltburn, a firm fave on the festival circuit, and indeed here on the site, is set to arrive on Prime Video all around the world from 22nd December.Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, and Carey Mulligan lead the cast of the film which is written and directed by Fennell.Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.We reviewed the film recently describing it as ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley by the way of Rules of Attraction and Cruel Intentions.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Amazon‘s Prime Video and Premier Boxing Champions announced a multiyear rights agreement to bring top pay-per-view boxing events to U.S. viewers. Launched in 2015, PBC features over 150 active fighters across various weight divisions, including top contenders and current world champions.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Mike Greene, who was president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences from the late 1980s until 2002, has been sued by a former female employee for sexual assault and harassment. The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Selome Hailu Amazon Prime Video has renewed “Harlem” for a third season. From “Girls Trip” and “The Blackening” writer Tracy Oliver, “Harlem” follows four best friends in Harlem — Camille (Meagan Good), Tye (Jerrie Johnson), Quinn (Grace Byers) and Angie (Shonique Shandai) — who navigate new phases of their careers, relationships and big city dreams together.

Coca-Cola is on a mission to further spread its ethos of ‘Real Magic’ and human connection this holiday season, with a new short film anthology: The Santa Stories.