J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Games Appoints Former Valve Exec as CEO

Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams get to know each other while feeding koi fish in the first trailer for their new movie, Chemical Hearts

Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams are ready to fall in love in the new teen drama “Chemical Hearts”.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorThe Paley Center for Media said that PaleyFest LA will go virtual for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic, setting its 2020 edition for August with a guest lineup for 10 series that includes Cate Blanchett, Justin Bieber and Dolly Parton and moderators including Stacey Abrams and Martha Raddatz.

Bruce Haring pmc-editorial-managerAmazon Studios will release the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy to select theaters on September 9 ahead of its global launch on Prime Video on September 18.

Dave McNary Film ReporterAmazon Studios has set a September theatrical release for the Stacey Abrams voting rights documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy.”The film will be released on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 18.

Dave McNary Film ReporterSaban Films has bought U.S. rights to Josh Duhamel’s ensemble comedy “Buddy Games,” the actor’s writing and directing debut.Duhamel, best known for the starring in four of the “Transformers” movies, stars with Olivia Munn, Dax Shepard, Kevin Dillon, James Roday, Nick Swardson and Dan Bakkedahl.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerSaban Films has acquired U.S. rights to Buddy Games, the directorial debut feature from Josh Duhamel, who also stars alongside Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), Dax Shepard (Chips), Kevin Dillon (Entourage), James Roday (Psych), Nick Swardson (Sandy Wexler) and Dan Bakkedahl (Veep).Written by Duhamel, the plot centers on a group of friends who reunite to play the Buddy Games, a wild assortment of absurd physical and mental challenges.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe New York Times Company announced that COO Meredith Kopit Levien, who has overseen its digital businesses, will succeed Mark Thompson as president and CEO effective Sept. 8.Kopit Levien, 49, will become the youngest chief exec of the media and publishing company.

Prince Harry and Prince William will remain at odds as long as they are on opposite sides of the pond, according to former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter.“I hope they settle their rift because there shouldn’t be bad blood amongst brothers, particularly those two brothers who went through such trauma together [with the] death of their mother, [Princess Diana],” Arbiter explained on Us Weekly’s Royally Us.

RuPaul’s Drag Race stars are sending messages of support to Chi Chi DeVayne, who has been hospitalised with suspected kidney failure.DeVayne – an American drag queen and reality star – is currently undergoing tests to find out out why her blood pressure is high. She also revealed that she has tested negative for Covid-19.“I have high blood pressure and they’ve said that I’m going through kidney failure,” she told her fans on Instagram.

Former Georgia congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams called out Governor Brian Kemp for having “absolutely no competency” amid the growing COVID-19 crisis in the state, after Kemp announced that he would block local mandates requiring people to wear face masks. Abrams, 46, said Kemp is “following the lead of the incompetency and the immorality” of President Donald Trump by refusing to acknowledge the danger he’s causing.

Also Read: Sony Doubles PlayStation 5 Production to 10 Million Consoles (Report)Sweet is a seasoned gaming executive, and served as senior vice president of content and community relations at game streaming startup (and Twitch rival) Caffeine. Sweet also worked on Facebook’s virtual reality projects under Facebook VR, and worked for roughly a year as head of developer strategy for Oculus.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorBad Robot Games, the entity founded by J.J.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTwo-year-old Bad Robot Games is getting its first CEO: Anna Sweet, a games industry veteran who formerly worked at PC games platform Valve and Facebook’s Oculus.Sweet will join president Dave Baronoff, the longtime Bad Robot exec who has led the division since it was created in 2018 by co-CEOs J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, in a venture with China’s Tencent and Warner Bros.

Jake Kanter, Tom Grater ITV confirms ‘The Cube’s return ITV has confirmed what Deadline reported weeks ago — that game show The Cube is returning after being rested for five years. Objective Media Group label Wildcard Television will make a new five-part series, which will be hosted by Phillip Schofield.