‘Lioness’: Taylor Sheridan’s CIA Drama Series Adds 3 To Cast

 is getting to work on its upcoming fourth season without a key member of the cast — Ashley Nicole Black. On Tuesday, the star, who served as a writer and performer on the variety series, revealed that she has exited the series ahead of production for season 4.«I am so happy that the fantastic @blackladysketch team will be back for a new season! I love these ladies and the whole team, and I can't wait to see what the new cuties get up to,» Black said on Twitter. «While I made the difficult decision to leave the show, I CANT WAIT to watch what they come up with!»«Well you can’t be on EVERY tv show at once so we remain grateful we had you for three beautiful seasons!!»  creator and star Robin Thede responded. Well you can’t be on EVERY tv show at once so we remain grateful we had you for three beautiful seasons!!Black has had her hands in a  of pots simultaneously; in addition to , the 37-year-old is just coming off of an Emmy-winning stint as a writer on and will next be seen in Apple TV+’s forthcoming 10-episode comedy , starring Vince Vaughn.Thede also shared a statement on Black's time on the series with, saying the writer would «always be part of our family.»«We are forever indebted to our sister, Emmy winner Ashley Nicole Black, whose contributions as a writer and performer on  for three seasons have made an indelible mark on our series and in comedy history,» Thede said.

The 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing is well underway and this year we've seen four new professional dancers join the popular BBC One show. Over the years, viewers have watched 64 professional dancers take to the Strictly dance floor and there's now only Anton Du Beke left from the first series, but he is part of the judging panel rather than the competition. There's been married couples take part in the show, such as James and Ola Jordan and Lilia Kopylova and Darren Bennett, as well as some who even fell for their celebrity partners during their time on Strictly.

Timothy Dalton (Doom Patrol, Hot Fuzz) has joined the cast of the Paramount + series, 1923, Deadline hears. He will portray Donald Whitfield, a powerful, self-confident man who reeks of wealth and the lack of empathy it requires to attain it. He is intimidating and nefarious and is used to getting what he wants.

EXCLUSIVE: Crypto page-turner The Cryptopians, written by Laura Shin, is in the works for the small screen.

Paramount+ has set a January 2023 premiere date for its upcoming original series Wolf Pack. The streamer also released the official teaser trailer and announced eight additional cast members for the series, written and produced by Jeff Davis, during the show’s panel Friday at New York Comic Con.

Jordan Moreau “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is slowly getting ready to take a bite out of the weekend box office. It earned $575,000 from 3,453 theaters in Thursday previews, while David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” picked up $550,000 million from 3,005 theaters. Sony’s live-action/CGI hybrid, co-financed by TSG, is a family-friendly movie about a singing crocodile, starring Grammy-nominated artist Shawn Mendes as the titular reptile. The studio projects an opening haul of $11 million to $12 million, with some projections belting out upwards of $15 million. With a budget of $50 million, it will need plenty of support from kids and families over the fall to snap up a profit. The cast includes Javier Bardem as Hector P. Valenti, Lyle’s flamboyant owner, Brett Gelman as Mr. Grumps and Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy and Winslow Fegley as the Primm family. The Primms move to a new house in New York City, where they discover Lyle, a saltwater crocodile with the voice of a high-end recording artist, living in their attic.

German powerhouse Constantin Film and Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions have teamed to make a high-end drama series about the events surrounding the Nuremberg Trials.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix’s Director of Local Language Originals for the CEE, Anna Nagler, has outlined the streamer’s ambitions in region, as its biggest drama series from the region, High Water, launches globally today.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Richard Linklater’s action comedy “Hitman” has begun production in New Orleans for AGC Studios, with actors Austin Amelio, Retta and Molly Bernard joining the cast. “Hitman” stars Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, and was announced ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, where it was first introduced to buyers. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios is co-financing the movie with leading indie financiers Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures and Monarch Media. Powell, who plays Hangman in Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” stars in the project as a Houston cop who’s been working undercover as the most in-demand hitman in Houston, until one day he breaks protocol in order to help a desperate woman (Arjona) trying to escape an abusive boyfriend. The project is based on a Texas Monthly article.

Taylor Sheridan is hyper-busy over at Paramount+, building up his “Yellowstone” TV empire, but he also has other adjacent irons in the fire. For one, “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone as a mafia capo who relocates to Oklahoma, premieres on the streamer on November 13 (which apparently connects to “Yellowstone” too).

Berlin is coming!

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Iceland’s leading production company Sagafilm Nordic has teamed with Swiss banner C-FILMS on “Codeword: Rubicon,” an espionage thriller series inspired by the infamous CIA operation involving the firm Crypto AG. Created by Hungarian director-writer Balazs Juszt(“I Love You, Too”), the eight-episode series has been commissioned by broadcaster Swiss Television (SRF). The show chronicles the story of how Crypto AG, a Swiss family-owned company manufacturing code-making machines founded in 1952 by a Swedish mathematician was secretly owned and operated by the CIA in partnership West German Intelligence services. From decades, the Swiss company sold equipment to more than 120 countries, including Iran and nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, and even the Vatican, according to the Washington Post. The role of the U.S. and West German intelligence was revealed by the Crypto Leaks.

After two years of holding in-person but stripped down editions of the festival, South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, October 5-14) is back in full force this year with a packed line-up of screenings, red carpets, parties, awards and industry events.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Stephanie Nur is the latest addition to the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Paramount+ drama series “Lioness,” Variety has learned exclusively. Nur joins previously announced series regulars Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, James Jordan, LaMonica Garrett, and Dave Annable in the series. Per the show’s official logline, “‘Lioness’ is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Saldaña will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.”

Vivienne Kelly Australian streaming service Stan and production and content studio Lionsgate have commissioned a new original drama series “Prosper.” “Prosper” will be produced by Lingo Pictures and benefits from major production investment from Screen Australia, with additional assistance from the New South Wales government via Screen NSW and the Made in NSW Fund. The series is part of the ongoing television development partnership for Stan Originals to deliver worldwide content for Lionsgate. It will be set in the inner sanctum of a family bound together by unfathomable wealth and unchecked power as they build an evangelical megachurch hell-bent on global domination, Stan said.Matt Cameron (“Jack Irish”), Liz Doran (“Please Like Me”), Louise Fox (“Broadchurch”) and Belinda Chayko (“Stateless”) are writers on the project. Jason Stephens (“Lambs of God”) and Helen Bowden (“The Secret She Keeps”) are producers for Lingo Pictures, alongside Andrew Walker (“Rosehaven”). Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie will executive produce for Stan.

Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, Fifty Shades of Grey) has joined the cast of the Paramount + series .