‘Insecure’s Wade Allain-Marcus Boards Benedict Cumberbatch-Led Series ‘Eric’

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor AUSTIN, Texas — Patton Oswalt, Phoebe Robinson, Eric Andre, Chelsea Handler and others were in fine form on Friday night as Variety helped kick off the 2023 SXSW festival and conference with its Power of Comedy event. The kudos pay tribute to innovators in the business of being funny. Presenters and honorees who gathered at the Creek and the Cave nightclub in downtown Austin made mention of comedians facing a fraught moment as social norms and cultural attitudes are changing. Mike Lawrence, who hosted the second half of the night, noted that he had to show more identification when registering to get his SXSW conference badge than he would have to buy a gun.

reported on Friday. The company was founded in 2021 by Travis Montaque, Richelieu Dennis and Bonin Bough and recently put in a bid of $400 million for Vice Media.

Filming on a second series of Trigger Point is underway and is expected to air on our television screens later this year. The police drama, starring Vicky McClure in the lead role as a police bomb disposal officer, was a huge hit amongst viewers in 2022.

, Debbie arrives in Morocco and is ready to start her new life with Oussama, who's 43 years younger than her. Despite her two failed marriages in the past and her son, Julian's, reservations, Debbie is moving from Georgia to be with Oussama. In the clip, Oussama tells cameras that he and Debbie are «like a team» as he goes to pick her up from the airport.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Bryan Cogman has signed on to serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the new “Zorro” series starring Wilmer Valderrama at Disney+, Variety has confirmed. The series was originally reported as being in development at the streamer in December 2021. Per the official logline, “When tragedy strikes his family, privileged caballero Diego de la Vega (Valderrama) returns to his hometown of El Pueblo de Los Angeles and discovers a culture of corruption and injustice that will lead him to take on the mantle of the masked vigilante Zorro — America’s first true superhero.” Cogman joins fellow executive producers Gary Marsh, Valderrama, and John Gertz on the series. Disney Branded Television will produce.

Even geniuses need help sometimes.

Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan have confused fans with their unconventional circular sofa. The pair, who spent years renovating their £3.5 million Essex mansion, have an Instagram page dedicated to their home. In a recent snap shared to the account, Mark and Michelle – who is set to star in a new Netflix drama– showcased their unique round, cream sofa that hugged a small circular table.

is coming to Disney later this month and ET is exclusively debuting the series' trailer to give fans a first look at what's to come. follows 14-year-old Paris Johnson (Danielle Jalade), a teen who considers roller skating to be part of her soul. She lives for the weekends when she gets to go to her sanctuary, the neon-lit Saturdays, a seemingly magical wood floor roller rink where the impossible often manifests.

EXCLUSIVE: Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is joining the cast of The Santa Clauses as a series regular.

BreAnna Bell Eric Stonestreet has signed on to join Disney’s “The Santa Clauses” just in time for Season 2, which is currently in production. He’ll portray Magnus Antas (aka the Mad Santa), who reigned during the 14th century and is now returning to try and take down Scott Calvin and reclaim the North Pole. Season 2 of the holiday comedy picks up with the Calvin family back in the North Pole as Scott Calvin continues his role as Santa Claus after his retirement plans were put on pause when failing to find a worthy successor in season one. Now that he and his family have saved Christmas, Scott is finally able to put his focus toward training his son Calvin to eventually take over the “family business” as Santa Claus.

Welcome back to my very irregularly scheduled podcast Deep Focus, where I, Playlist.net Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez, talk long or long-ish with different filmmakers, directors, writers, and actors. Today, my guest is none other than comedian/actor and podcaster extraordinaire Marc Maron.

Vertigo Films is lining up a new horror TV series dubbed The Last Days of Jack Sparks, based on Jason Arnopp’s genre-bending novel of the same name. Screenwriter Gaby Hull (Two Weeks to Live, We Hunt Together) is adapting the book and UK horror master Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam) is set to direct. 

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos have been cast in the lead roles of the upcoming Amazon series “The Sticky,” Variety has learned exclusively. The show was originally ordered at Amazon back in April 2022. As previously reported, the series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The real heist involved the theft of $18 million dollars (CAD) of of Quebec’s national maple syrup, which is more than 70% of the global maple syrup supply. Per the official logline for the half-hour comedy series, “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Clarke (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a local blockhead and Mike Byrne (Diamantopoulos), a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.”

Nepotism is just as rife in the UK as it is in the states, with many of your favourite actors and musicians actually hailing from super famous or well-off families. From the Redgrave clan that dates back to the 19th century (Roy Redgrave was a well-known silent film actor) to Sally from Corrie’s Bridgerton-breakout star daughter Phoebe Dynevor, who else has risen to fame from within the confines of the entertainment industry? Lottie Moss Everyone knows Ms Moss as the half-sister of the iconic supermodel, Kate Moss. In terms of her career path, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as the 25 year old followed in her sibling’s footsteps for a short time by becoming a British fashion model, too.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding the U.S., Germany and France, to Thomas von Steinaecker’s feature documentary “Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer” and is representing the project at Berlin’s European Film Market. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into the legendary German film director’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with Herzog and his collaborators — including Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman and his wife Lena Herzog — the film provides a glimpse into his work process and his personal life.  The documentary is presented by Emmy-winning film studio Wavelength, produced by Spring Films and 3B-Produktion in association with Hot Docs Partners. It is produced by Andre Singer, Bernhard Von Hulsen and Maria Willer. Executive producers include Jenifer Westphal and Joe Plummer for Wavelength, Figs Jackman and Chris Smith for Spring Films and Vijay Vaidyanathan.

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Subias, UTA partner and head of theater, is exiting the agency to take a newly created job at production company Smuggler.

EXCLUSIVE: Wild Bunch International has made an eleventh-hour addition to its European Film Market slate, signing international sales on Swedish Morbius director Daniel Espinosa’s upcoming drama Madame Luna.

Katie Reul editor Disney has unveiled a new teaser for its live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” beckoning viewers to become part of Ariel’s world. The upcoming musical, directed by Rob Marshall, reimagines the original 1989 animated film with live actors. The new adaptation will once again see the mermaid Ariel fall for a human prince who lives above the water, spurring a devilish plot from the nefarious Ursula. Halle Bailey stars as Ariel, alongside Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian. The trailer gives a first look at Ursula and Prince Eric.

EXCLUSIVE: OneGate Media has picked up worldwide distribution rights for German crime series Asbestos from Pantaleon Films.

Marc Maron might be one of the most famous podcasters in the world, but let’s not forget he cut his teeth and made his career in stand-up. His terrific new HBO Original stand-up comedy special “Marc Maron: From Bleak To Dark” debuted this past weekend and is now available to stream on HBO Max.