History Channel Sets Projects With Tom Hanks, Barack Obama And Derek Jeter; Danny Trejo To Excavate Lost Civilizations

Ariana Madix is movin’ on up!

EXCLUSIVE: Tonia Davis, who has been the Head of Motion Pictures for five years at Higher Ground, is transitioning out of the role. She will remain a producer on upcoming projects at the studio.

Louis Theroux has revealed why he once “turned down” the opportunity to interview Tom Hanks.Speaking to comedian and fellow podcaster Adam Buxton on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the documentarian said he was only allocated an hour of Hanks’ time, which he felt was not long enough to conduct a satisfactory interview.“I turned it down. I’m trying not to be mealy mouthed… I said no when I was told you only get an hour [with him],” he said.

Barack Obama loves to share a list. The former President of the United States is known for them, whether he’s sharing his favorite books, his favorite songs, or his favorite films. Today, he’s shared his March Madness picks, a basketball tournament that pits Division I college basketball teams against eachother.

Katcy Stephan Actor and comedian Zach Woods has signed with the Gersh Agency for representation in all areas. Woods is best known for his work on critically acclaimed series “Silicon Valley” and “The Office.” He played Donald “Jared” Dunn for six seasons on “Silicon Valley” and joined “The Office” as Gabe Lewis starting in Season 6.

Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have shared why Barack Obama declined being in their upcoming Netflix series.The pair, who created the eight-part series 3 Body Problem, reportedly asked the former US President to appear in a cameo role.The series –which is based on Liu Cixin’s best-selling novel, The Three-Body Problem – is set during an alien invasion which threatens to wipe out humanity.

EXCLUSIVE: Andscape, the Black multimedia platform from Disney and ESPN, on Monday revealed &360, a new documentary anthology intended to explore the influence of Black culture on American society, expanding perspectives, telling previously untold stories, and revealing truths about some of the biggest sports and cultural moments of our time.

Ethan Shanfeld “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss pulled out all the stops for their new series “3 Body Problem” — which even included asking Barack Obama to appear in the Netflix fantasy about an alien invasion. “He did sign a very funny note though, when we tried to get him for a cameo,” Benioff told USA Today about trying to get the former president on board.

EXCLUSIVE: Acorn TV, the streaming service aimed at Anglophiles, is getting a new look.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Minute Media, the sports media company that owns The Players’ Tribune, landed the publishing rights to Sports Illustrated — coming two months after a financial crisis at SI’s former publishing partner led to mass layoffs. ABG had previously licensed the rights to publish Sports Illustrated the magazine to a company called Arena Group — but after the Arena Group missed a recent $3.75 million payment, in January, ABG revoked the license, leading the Arena Group to institute major job cuts at the publication.

David Benioff and DB Weiss, having conquered the fantasy genre with Game of Thrones, could have recruited pretty much any talent they desired for their latest project – a big-budget adaptation of Liu Cixi’s sci-fi novel, Three-Body Problem, which comes to Netflix this week.

Lise Pedersen Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has unveiled its program for film professionals, VdR-Industry, which includes 29 projects in various stages of production. These will be pitched during the four-day event that runs April 14 through April 17, alongside the fest.

Masters Of The Air set to be released tomorrow, will there be a second season? Based on the 2007 book of the same name by Donald L. Miller, the miniseries follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, nicknamed the Bloody Hundreth, who served under the Eighth Air Force for the US during World War II. The final episode arrives on Apple TV+ on March 15.

Lloyds Banking Group which includes the Bank of Scotland has set out plans to axe another 53 high street bank branches which will include sites in Scotland.

NATPE’s Budapest event is set for June with U.S. studios in town to sell to international buyers and a Realscreen format strand that will mark the first NATPE-Realscreen Summit collaboration.

Liam Gallagher was in a jubilant mood following his new number one album as he met fans in Glasgow ahead of his Barrowland gig in the city.

Lise Pedersen Berlin-based Rise and Shine World Sales has picked up the rights for “E.1027 – Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea,” which is vying for the top Dox:Award at Copenhagen’s CPH:DOX, one of Europe’s leading documentary festivals. Variety is debuting the trailer and poster, below.

Queer Eye.In November last year, the interior designer announced he was to depart from Queer Eye after its eighth season. He has appeared on the hit Netflix revival since its first season along with France, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski and Karamo Brown.Though he did not give an official reason for his leaving, an explosive Rolling Stone report has claimed Berk fought with hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness and fashion designer Tan France on set. It also accused the latter of campaigning “to replace Berk with interior designer and friend Jeremiah Brent”, according to three sources.Now, France has addressed the rumours on an Instagram reel.

Selome Hailu Comedian Mike Birbiglia has set a documentary special at Peacock. Titled “Good One: A Show About Jokes,” it premieres on March 26. Adapted from the Vulture podcast “Good One: A Podcast About Jokes,” the special follows Birbiglia through his process as he travels from Providence, R.I.

Outlander's Lauren Lyle is among those cast as part of the forthcoming factual drama Lockerbie. The six-part series will focus on the harrowing events of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.