Sony Pictures-Television Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: Claire’s is teaming up with Sony Pictures Television — Kids to create a new series for young people for the global marketplace.

Lionel Messi Gets Animated With Sony

"Days of Our Lives" alum Lisa Rinna is speaking out in support of the soap opera's cast amid calls for a change in the show’s leadership. "Ken Korday [sic] and @sony Do the right thing now! Protect your talent!!!" Rinna wrote on her Instagram stories over a screengrab of a headline about misconduct allegations by the show’s co-executive producer and director, Albert Alarr. "Listen to what they are saying-there is a petion [sic] 25 people have signed it.

J. Kim Murphy Pat Sajak is about to take his final spin. The longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host, who has been at the helm of the game show institution since 1981, will step away from the production after the end of his upcoming 41st season. Sajak made the announcement on Monday afternoon. “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak wrote. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)” While Sajak will no longer be the face of “Wheel of Fortune,” he will continue a partnership with the program as a consultant, according to producer Sony Pictures Television.

Call Me Kat,” after its third season finale failed to draw sufficient numbers. The last episode of “Fantasy Island,” titled “MJ Akuda & The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wives Club,” earned 1.8 million viewers and a 0.2 rating in the demo.“We were very pleased with ‘Fantasy Island’s’ fun and escapist creative, which we had hoped would gain strong traction among viewers,” the network said in a statement shared with TheWrap.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Fantasy Island” will not be returning for Season 3 at Fox, Variety has learned. The reimagining of the classic series originally aired during the summer on Fox, while the second season has been airing as part of the network’s midseason schedule. “We were very pleased with Fantasy Island’s fun and escapist creative, which we had hoped would gain strong traction among viewers. Sony Pictures Television is an important partner of ours, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on ‘Accused,’ ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit,’ ‘Doc’ and the upcoming animated series Universal Basic Guys/Hoagie Bros. We’d also like to thank Fantasy Island’s cast, led by Roselyn Sánchez, Kiara Barnes and John Gabriel Rodriquez, crew and executive producers Liz Craft, Sarah Fain and Anne Clements for their partnership on the series,” said Fox in a statement.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “S.W.A.T” has been renewed for Season 7 at CBS, which will also be the show’s last. The move marks a stunning reversal of the network’s decision to cancel the show just three days ago. According to sources, talks continued between CBS and series co-producer Sony Pictures Television over the weekend following the cancellation announcement. The show has been a solid performer for CBS in its Friday night timeslot, with the decision ultimately coming down to the show’s financials. In addition to the renewal, series star Shemar Moore will serve as an executive producer on the final season. “We have listened to our viewers and their outpouring of passion for ‘S.W.A.T.’ and we have reached an agreement to renew it for a final season of 13 episodes to air during the 2023-2024 broadcast year,” said CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope in a joint statement. “‘S.W.A.T.’ has aired for six seasons on CBS and garnered a devoted following. We are pleased that we found a way to bring it back and give closure to the show’s storylines and characters, which audiences deserve. Once again, we appreciate the talents and efforts of the cast, writers, producers and crew and everyone who has contributed to the success of ‘S.W.A.T.’ We look forward to its return next season.”

EXCLUSIVE: The UK’s Independent Film Trust, Sony Pictures Television and Roadmap Writers have named the 14 writers of color selected to take part in their transatlantic writers’ initiative, Creative Corridor. 

K.J. Yossman Sarah Edwards, creative director and senior vice president of global unscripted entertainment at Sony Pictures Television International (SPT), has departed the company, Variety can confirm.Edwards stepped down last month with a view to taking a break for family reasons.

Carson Burton Sony Pictures Television has brought on unscripted executive and producer Michael Weinberg as senior vice president of development in its newly-formed game show production unit, Variety has learned exclusively.In the new role, Weinberg will develop game shows across all platforms and will identify new growth opportunities for the game shows division, which is focused on expanding the company’s footprint in the category. Sony Pictures Television is behind mega-powerhouses “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”An Emmy-winning producer, Weinberg’s extensive list of game show credits includes “Press Your Luck,” “1 Versus 100,” “To Tell the Truth” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”Earlier this year, Sony made a major push into unscripted content expansion with the $350 million acquisition of Industrial Media.

K.J. Yossman Sony Pictures Television-owned “Sex Education” producer Eleven has promoted Carissa Hope Lynch to the position of creative director.She will report to Eleven founders Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell.Hope Lynch has been at Eleven since 2019, working on projects including “White Stork” for Netflix and the upcoming young adult horror series “Red Rose” for the BBC and Netflix.

K.J.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the longest ongoing creative partnerships between a showrunner and a studio is set to continue. Vince Gilligan, creator of the blockbuster Breaking Bad franchise, which has spawned two hit series and a movie, has re-upped his overall deal with Breaking Bad producer Sony Pictures Television.

K.J. Yossman Sony Pictures Television has hired Michaela Fereday as senior VP of scripted production.Based in the U.K., she will begin her new role next week, reporting into senior VP of international co-productions, Brendan Fitzgerald.As senior VP of scripted production, Fereday will focus on productions coming out of Sony Pictures Television International Production, as well as overseeing premium scripted series commissioned abroad and produced in the U.K.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime may have found its next Homeland. The network is tying up a preemptive deal to acquire and turn the Nathan Englander Israeli-Palestine conflict novel Dinner At The Center Of The Earth into a series that Homeland architects Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa will write and run as Executive Producers.

By Jake Kanter