Riot Games Hires Mandy Beckner as Global Head of Live Action Development, Film & TV (EXCLUSIVE)

Liza Foreman “Artemis Fowl” writer Eoin Colfer’s first live action original project was amongst news announced during this year’s MipJunior Keynote from BBC Studios’ Kids & Family head Cecilia Persson. With over 25 million copies of the “Artemis Fowl” series sold, the author’s new project is being written in collaboration with screenwriter Viko Nikci.  The idea “combines a gripping high-stakes mystery with a fun gang of unlikely young heroes,” in this sci-fi series which combines action, comedy and multiple plot twists,” according to a BBC statement.   

“The Little Mermaid” is doing swimmingly on the journey to its live-action release.

is returning to Netflix for season 3, this time featuring singles from Dallas, Texas, and hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey couldn't be more excited. «That’s the beauty of the show is that every season is completely — while the premise is the same and the procedure is the same — every season is different from the one before because we're dealing with different people in a different place,» Nick tells ET. «If you liked season 1 and season 2, you’re gonna love season 3. To me, it may be my favorite so far.» Season 3 was shot directly after season 2 in 2021 and Vanessa teases that the franchise has even moved on shooting «some more.» As for what fans can expect this season, Vanessa and Nick tease one particularly shocking moment at the altar for one couple. «I literally was like, 'Whaaaat?!'» Vanessa recalls.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic If Kid Cudi is indeed retiring his rapper persona, as strongly indicated in recent interviews, Monday night might have served as an early farewell party of sorts.  At a special screening at the Netflix Tudum Theater in Hollywood, the star was all smiles as he answered questions and celebrated the release of “Entergalactic,” the new animated Netflix special that serves as a kind of filmic companion piece to Cudi’s new album of the same name.  “I’m just overwhelmed, you know?” Cudi, who created, starred in, and executive-produced the project, said immediately after the screening, sitting next to the film’s director, Fletcher Moules. “The past week has been really exciting to see the reviews, see the response. We’ve been working on this thing for three years, man.” 

Brent Lang Executive Editor 101 Studios has made a series of key executive hires. Eliot Goldberg has joined as the company’s head of unscripted and documentary programming, while Ellie Duque has been tapped as exec VP of brand partnerships. Both executives will work out of the company’s Beverly Hills office. Joanna Balin has been tapped as director of unscripted and documentary programming, with Brannan Goetschius named as head of audio. Both executives will become part of 101 Studios’ New York team. They join Dani Weinstein, who was announced as the new chief communications officer in July. “We are thrilled to welcome these very accomplished, well-respected executives into our 101 Studios Family. We are always looking for ways to expand our reach and expertise and we are lucky to have Dani, Eliot, Ellie, Joanna and Brannan join our ranks,” said 101 Studios CEO David Glasser

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japan’s Toei Animation and Korea’s CJ ENM unveiled a volley of new projects on Saturday flowing from their previously-established cooperation pact. The new shows include: a series that will be produced in both live action and animated formats; a live action series; and a third animation series. “The genesis of this co-operation was the notion that we should play to the strengths of Korean content and Japanese animation,” said Yi Jongmin, the CJ executive who heads the joint venture’s shared control unit. “That was before we factor in language barriers and cultural differences and suffered the disruptions of the COVID pandemic.”

“Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection and the circle of life.”Jared Ian Goldman (“Ingrid Goes West,” “Russian Doll”) is producing. Day is the executive producer.

Justin Long has been cast as a series regular in Goosebumps, Disney+’s live-action series based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling books, Deadline has confirmed. The new version hails from Scholastic Entertainment, the media division of Scholastic, Neal H. Moritz, producer of the Goosebumps and Goosebumps 2 films, and Sony Pictures TV. 

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic The movie format where a character beloved by kids becomes a CGI creature, who is then plugged into a live-action universe, is one of the most casually technically astonishing of all popcorn genres — and, as often as not, one of the most stunted. It almost doesn’t matter if the hero is Garfield or Stuart Little, Alvin and the Chipmunks or Sonic the Hedgehog: The way this genre has descended from the noisy bravura of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” the actors tend to be reduced to one-note stooges who get stuck in too many green-screen reaction shots, whereas the critter at the center — the animated star — is, almost inevitably, a preening chatterbox who wears out his welcome by pelting the live-action players, and the audience, with too many bad punchlines.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Marc Velez has joined UCP as senior vice president and head of development, Variety has learned. In addition, Naketha Mattocks has joined Universal Television (UTV) as senior vice president of drama development. In his new role, Velez will report to Jennifer Gwartz, executive vice president of UCP. He joins the studio from Lee Daniels Entertainment, of which he was the president. He takes over development at UCP from Garrett Kemble, who left earlier this year for a role at Anonymous Content’s AC Studios. “Marc is a rare executive who is entrepreneurial, creative, and a partner to our talent and buyers,” said Beatrice Springborn, president of UCP and Universal International Studios. “We are fortunate to have him lead our creative team, who represent the best of the best as we continue to evolve and grow our slate.”

Production is underway on filmmaker Richard Linklater’s next film “Hitman” in New Orleans, and Retta (“Good Girls”), Molly Bernard (“Younger”) and Austin Amelio (“The Walking Dead”) have been added to the ensemble opposite Glen Powell and Adria Arjona (“Morbius”).Based on an article in Texas Monthly, the screenplay hails from Linklater and “Top Gun: Maverick” co-star Powell and tells the true story of “the most sought-after hitman in New Orleans, but if you pay him to rub out a cheating spouse or a sadistic boss, you’d better watch out: he works for the cops.”The official synopsis continues, “When he breaks protocol to help a desperate woman (Arjona) trying to get away from an abusive boyfriend, he finds himself living the life of one of his false personas, falling for the woman and flirting with becoming a criminal himself.”The production announcement and additional casting were announced by AGC Studios Chariman and CEO Stuart Ford, whose company will co-finance “Hitman” with leading indie financiers Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures and Monarch Media.The action comedy is produced by Linklater and Michael Blizzard for Detour Pictures, Michael Costigan and Jason Bateman for Aggregate Films, and Powell for BarnStorm Productions in association with Cinetic Media.Powell and Linklater – both Texas natives – first worked together on “Everybody Wants Some!!” (in which Amelio also starred), and this marks yet another genre shift for a filmmaker who’s made a career out of being a chameleon.

EXCLUSIVE: Skybound Entertainment, the company founded by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, is staffing up.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Anders Holm has joined the cast of the live-action Godzilla and the Titans series at Apple in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Holm is the latest addition to the the series, joining previously announced cast members Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell and Mari Yamamoto. Character details are being kept under wraps. The show hails from Legendary Television and is a part of the company’s growing Monsterverse franchise. Per the official description of the series, “Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the untitled series will explore one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.”

EXCLUSIVE: Buchwald is bolstering its unscripted efforts with the hire of Ivo Fischer as Head of Unscripted Talent and Content. Fischer will also focus on Buchwald’s relationships with talent, as well as content creators and producers in the unscripted space.

live-action series adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book of the same name, will not be moving forward at Netflix, individuals with knowledge of the matter have told TheWrap. The decision, which was not “taken lightly,” will not impact Dark Horse Entertainment’s overall deal with the streamer.The show’s producers have the opportunity to shop the project externally if they choose to and find the best home for their show, but no other details were given.The eight-episode show was announced in September of last year, with “Power Book II: Ghost” and “Katy Keene” alum Abubakr Ali attached to star as the masked vigilante and “Supernatural” showrunner Andrew Dabb serving as writer, showrunner and executive producer.

A TikTok user who has declared themselves a ''time traveller' on the social media app has now issued warnings about five huge events they claim will occur at some point between now and the start of 2023. These extravagant claims uploaded onto the popular social media app by @timevoyaging range from unearthing T rex eggs and dragons to a global ''purge'', the Daily Star reports.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Rodrigo Sorogoyen, director of “As Bestas,” “Riot Police” and the Oscar-nominated “Madre,” is bringing onto the international market “La Guerra,” a six-part drama delivering a new vision of the Spanish Civil War which looks like one of the biggest Spanish series ever made. Sorogoyen will direct all six episodes. Isabel Peña, Sorogoyen, and Eduardo Villanueva, “Riot Police’s”writing team, have fairly definitive version of three episodes with the rest at an initial phase.  “La Guerra” was originally set up at Movistar Plus+. In an amicable settlement – Sorogoyen has gone on to direct and promote an episode of Movistar+ original “Offworld” at last week’s San Sebastián – after Movistar Plus+ pulled out of the series, Sorogoyen and Villanueva’s Madrid-based label Caballo Films have recovered the rights. 

EXCLUSIVE: Maverick TV, the All3Media-backed production company behind series such as Netflix’s American Barbeque Showdown, is adding a new reality series to its roster and a new head of development.

EXCLUSIVE: Open Road Films has acquired North American rights to Gerard Butler action thriller Kandahar in a splashy eight-figure deal (low teens, we understand).