Jerry Bruckheimer Producing Movie Based On Beyblade Toy Franchise For Paramount

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeCBS and the producers behind the network’s new reality series “Beyond the Edge” were bracing for their celebrity cast to mutiny. They even had contingency plans in place, just in case their stars decided to give up in the face of grueling conditions.“I remember in the middle of production, saying on multiple occasions, ‘I can’t believe they’re still out there,’” says CBS alternative series senior VP Mitch Graham. “You never know in a new format, what you’re going to get.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Showtime’s Attica) is teaming up with Jacqueline Olive (Lincoln’s Dilemma) to direct the feature documentary, The Color of Cola.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentCarol Polakoff, a two-time Directors Guild of America award winner, is teaming with “Exodus” producer Denise O’Dell to adapt to the big screen “Speak Sunlight,” American writer Alan Jolis’ much-loved memoir. Now in pre-production and scheduled to shoot from May 8, the high-profile title is produced by Madrid-based Babieka Films, most recently behind Netflix hit “The Paramedic,”  and L.A.’s Viewfinder Pictures. “Speak Sunlight” (“La Voz del Sol”) marks the directorial debut of journalist-screenwriter Polakoff whose curriculum includes two DGA wins and three Daytime Emmy Awards nominations for “ABC Afterschool Specials.” Most recently, Polakoff produced Daniel Rosenberg’s 2020 Cannes Official Selection title “The Death of Cinema and My Father Too,” which won a Cannes Label for making the cut in Thierry Frémaux’s First Features category. To film in Spanish, with a smattering of French, “Speak Sunlight” is written by Polakoff with a Spanish version from Natxo López, a creator of top primetime series such as “Perdida” and “Unauthorised Living.” López also co-wrote the just-out Amazon Studios hit “Operation Black Tide,” the subject of a case study panel at Series Mania on March 23.A heartfelt coming of age tale set in Paris and majorly Pamplona in 1965, “Speak Sunlight” is based on the memoir of the same title by Jolis, who died aged just 46 in 2000. It drinks from his childhood memories as the son of posh but distant American parents in Paris who is really looked after by the family’s cook, Maruja, a force of nature, and her husband, Manolo, the butler. In 1965, they take Alanito off to Pamplona, where he awakes to a vivid sensual world and grows up emotionally.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered the comedy pilot “Bammas” written by and starring Opeyemi Olagbaju and Biniam Bizuneh, Variety has learned.The show follows a pair of young Ethiopian- and Nigerian-American best friends as they struggle to overcome their loser reputations in a magical realist version of Washington DC.Olagbaju and Bizuneh serve as executive producers in addition to starring and writing. Danny Chun (“The Office” “The Simpsons”), who mentored the pair at the Sundance Lab in 2019, will serve as showrunner and executive producer.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSuperstar Puerto Rican songwriter-producer Tainy, who has helmed such hits as “I Like It” (by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin), “Dakiti” (by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez), and “Telepatia” (by Kali Uchis), has sold his pre-2021 music catalog to fast-rising Influence Media (Influence Media Partners).Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although sources tell Variety it was in the $25 million range.The San Juan native (real name: Marco Masis) has appeared on Variety’s Hitmakers list several times and spoke with us about his hits last year. A four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy winner, Tainy has helmed hits for Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Rosalia, Lauren Jauregui, Zion & Lennox, Anuel, Ozuna, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Rauw Alejandro, Jhay Cortez and more.

Fremantle has acquired a 25% stake in Henrik Bastin’s Fabel Entertainment, the international development and production outfit behind Prime Video’s cop drama series Bosch.

EXCLUSIVE: Neal McDonough (Red Stone) has signed on to produce and star opposite Dermot Mulroney in The Warrant: Breaker’s Law, a sequel to his 2020 film The Warrant, which will see him reprise his role as Civil War hero and Sheriff John Breaker.

Filmmaker Megan Park has written what will be her sophomore feature, My Old Ass, which LuckyChap Entertainment and Indian Paintbrush are producing.

EXCLUSIVE: Jaime King (Black Summer) has signed on to star alongside Frank Grillo in the thriller Man’s Son, which his son Remy Grillo is directing for XYZ Films.

Jim Owens, who was in the forefront of bringing country music into a new era of entertainment television programming, died today with wife Lorianne Crook by his side.

The Walking Stick, A Severed Head, Villain, and The Nightcomers. He returned to the US in 1973 to become Head of Creative Affairs at 20th Century Fox. In August 1976, he was promoted from worldwide production head to president of Fox’s film division.

EXCLUSIVE: A limited scripted series exploring the rise and fall of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr is in the works.

Alan Ladd Jr, the veteran film producer who won a Best Picture Oscar for Braveheart, commissioned George Lucas to write Star Wars and was a longtime executive for Fox and MGM, died today, his family said. He was 84.

EXCLUSIVE: Transformers duo Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are producing a movie about iconic escape artist and illusionist Harry Houdini for Paramount.

Animal House to Ghostbusters. Known for bawdy comedies that caught the spirit of their time, Reitman’s big break came with the raucous, college fraternity send-up National Lampoon’s Animal House, which he produced. Reitman, who died peacefully in his sleep, directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in the summer camp flick Meatballs, and then again in 1981’s Stripes, but his most significant success came with 1984’s Ghostbusters.

James Brown documentary produced by Mick Jagger and Questlove in on the way.A&E Network announced the four-part documentary yesterday (February 26) and said it’s expected to arrive in 2023.James Brown: Say It Loud will be directed by Deborah Riley Draper and will be executive produced by Mick Jagger, Questlove and Black Thought, among others.In a statement, Jagger said he was “thrilled” to executive produce the project, saying: “He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”Questlove and Black Thought added: “The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture.“Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honoured to have the chance to share it.”In 2014, the late Chadwick Boseman starred as James Brown for the biopic Get On Up, which Jagger also produced.

The First Lady” is Showtime’s new TV series, an anthology looking into the country’s first ladies. The first season stars Viola Davis, Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pheiffer, focusing on the stories of Michelle Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford.In a virtual panel at the Television Critics Association’s press tour, showrunner and producer Cathy Schulman and Susanne Bier talked about the future of the show, and the possibility of having a season centered on Melania Trump, one of the most controversial first ladies in American history.Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis becomes Michelle Obama in upcoming TV dramaMelania Trump announces new ‘limited-edition’ NFT collectionA post shared by The First Lady on Showtime (@thefirstlady_sho)The panel was attended by the showrunner, producer and the show’s stars, where they were asked questions about the show and they teased possibilities for its future.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterShowtime’s upcoming “The First Lady” anthology series is described as “a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House.” While the first season focuses on icons Michelle Obama (played by Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), the executive producers are not opposed to a potential future season including possibly the most divisive first lady: Melania Trump.During a virtual panel promoting the show at the Television Critics Association’s press tour Wednesday, “The First Lady” showrunner Cathy Schulman and director and executive producer Susanne Bier playfully tossed a reporter’s question about featuring President Donald Trump’s wife as subject before Bier answered definitively, but with a laugh: “Look, I do think that the series could do with a fun season — so let’s talk about that.” Star Anderson, who was sitting on the panel alongside co-star Davis, added: “I think the hope is that there’s going to be future seasons and there will be the opportunity to have many, many more first ladies represented. So maybe not just four — but maybe 104.”But Bier says that no matter how many seasons they do, she’d like to keep the number of first ladies to three per installment for a very specific reason.“Three is a great number for a season because you can do in-depth contrasts, but it’s also incredibly interesting how the three ladies reflect upon each other,” Bier said.