Sara Murphy & Ryan Zacarias Launch Production Company Fat City, Strike First-Look Deal With Anonymous Content

EXCLUSIVE: A five-part video and podcast series celebrating the life and career of Broadway composer Lucy Simon – one of the final projects the sister of Carly Simon worked on prior to her death last week – launches today on YouTube and the Broadway Podcast Network.

Producer Matt Jackson and his production company Jackson Pictures have signed a multi-year first look deal with Fifth Season — the global film and TV studio previously known as Endeavor Content, which has been behind such decorated titles as Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning series Severance and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Oscar-nominated Netflix drama The Lost Daughter. 

” with Zoë Kravitz at Warner Bros; and the Skydance series “Ring Shout” starring KiKi Layne.“As an admirer of Fifth Season, I am thrilled to partner and deepen our relationship with the entire team,” said Jackson in a statement. “Jackson Pictures is committed to support all artistry and deliver inspiring story-telling with a global reach.

Carol Mendelsohn, the former showrunner of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, has signed a deal with Fox and is once again attempting a series adaptation of Thomas Perry’s The Bomb Maker.

EXCLUSIVE: Olga Kurylenko-starrer (Black Widow) Boudica has wrapped shoot in the UK for Bleiberg Entertainment, which has today revealed an official first look image from the movie.

Charlotte Crosby has given birth to her baby girl, and she's shared an insight to her time in hospital with her boyfriend, Jake Ankers.The former Geordie Shore star, 32, welcomed her first child via planned C-section on Saturday, October 15. Whilst Charlotte is yet to share a snap of her precious daughter, she has shared an insight of her time in hospital as she and Jake prepared to welcome their daughter.Taking to her Instagram stories, Charlotte shared snaps of Jake, 31, and herself in hospital scrubs and a gown as they looked excited to meet their little girl.

Selome Hailu Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback have entered a first look deal with Lionsgate Television. Under the deal, they will develop and produce unscripted and documentary programming under their production banner Hey Sistah Productions. Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, which focuses on unscripted programming, will provide development support and serve as production services entity for sold projects.     Jagger and Toback are best known for producing “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” a Netflix documentary series based on Dr. Jessica Harris’ book of the same name. The series follows food writer Stephen Satterfield on a culinary journey alongside chefs, historians and activists that celebrates the courage, artistry and resourcefulness of the African American people.

EXCLUSIVE: Disney Branded Television is reuniting with longtime former VP Original Series Kory Lunsford with a new comedy series and a first-look deal. Disney has picked up to series Pretty Freekin Scary, a multi-camera sitcom based on the popular books, from CakeStart Entertainment, where Lunsford serves as president and partner, and Cloudco Entertainment. Lunsford left Disney after nearly 20 years in May 2021 to join the newly formed CakeStart.

K.J. Yossman London-based longform news and podcasting outlet Tortoise Media has inked an exclusive first-look deal with Tortoise Media. The multi-year deal will see Sky potentially adapting Tortoise’s original podcasts including their investigative podcast “The Slow Newscast” into scripted and factual high-end series and/or features in the U.K., Italy, Germany and more. Tortoise will collaborate with Sky Studios during the development purpose on the Sky Original projects. Among the podcast series Tortoise Media has put out are “Sweet Bobby,” an investigation into one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishes, and “Hoaxed,” a multi-part series about one of Britain’s most   Since 2019, Tortoise Media has produced chart-topping podcast series such as “Sweet Bobby” and “Hoaxed,” their latest multi-part series exploring one of Britain’s most unusual conspiracy theories, in which an affluent London school community was torn apart by allegations of a satanic paedophile ring was in operation.

BreAnna Bell Production is moving forward for Jensen and Danneel Ackles. With their latest endeavor, “The Winchesters” slated to premiere on The CW on Oct. 11, the couple recently renewed their first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television for two more years and teases there’s a few more stories they’re looking to share in the future through their production company, Chaos Machine. “We are excited to continue our relationship with Warner Bros. as it’s been our home for a long time. It feels only natural that The Winchesters would stay within the Warner Bros. family and continue on the Supernatural legacy,” said the couple in a joint statement.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer After debuting eight new original holiday movies in 2021, BET+ is getting even more into the seasonal spirit this year with 10 more titles rolling out beginning Nov. 3, Variety has learned exclusively. The 2022 slate features films starring Ne-Yo, Sereyah, Romeo Miller, LeToya Luckett and LaLa Milan, as well as returning BET+ holiday movie staples like Jasmine Guy, Terrence Carson and Dorien Wilson. The titles come from directors and writers including Victoria Rowell (who also appears in “A Christmas Gift”), Robin Givens, Bree West and Patricia Cuffie Jones. “We’re committed to bringing quality Black stories to the screen and the holidays are no exception,” BET+ executive vice president and general manager Devin Griffin said. “Year after year, our members devour holiday programming; in fact, our original holiday films continue to out-perform, which is why we’re committed to growing our investment in this area of the service. But it’s not just about meeting demand, it’s also about authenticity. Our cast and crews are a powerhouse of Black excellence from creatives behind the camera like Victoria Rowell, Robin Givens and Patricia Cuffie Jones to the incredible performances of talent like Ne-Yo, Serayah, Romeo Miller, Dorien Wilson and Jasmine Guy, to name a few. With a weekly rollout of content come November, we’re excited to help our members celebrate and enjoy the holidays all season long.”

J. Kim Murphy “Star Trek” took over New York Comic Con on Saturday afternoon with a triple-series panel for Paramount+ series “Discovery,” “Prodigy” and “Picard,” which kicked off by revealing the teaser for Season 5 of “Star Trek: Discovery.” “Discovery” star Sonequa Martin-Green joined the NYCC panel to introduce the teaser for the Paramount+ series, which provides fans a first look at new characters played by Callum Keith Rennie, Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis. Rennie plays Rayner, a weathered Starfleet captain who’s at home in the battle. Harlow portrays Moll, a cunning outlaw that faces off with the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery. L’ak, Moll’s partner, is played by Toufexis. The “Discovery” NYCC panel featured cast members Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, as well as executive producers Michelle Paradise, Alex Kurtzman and Rod Roddenberry.

Caroline Moore has been named president, development and production of The Js, the company owned by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg. She was previously SVP of development and production.

promises to be “a season like no other.” Ahead of the horror anthology franchise’s return with its 11th installment, FX released a sexy yet creepy teaser for the upcoming, star-studded new season. While no official details for the plot have been released, the teaser appears to be leaning into the BDSM scene and queer culture with New York City potentially inspired by the infamous Al Pacino film,, which was about a serial killer who targeted gay men. The new season also features one of creator Ryan Murphy’s largest LGBTQ casts following and, with Joe Mantello, Zachary Quinto, Russell Tovey, Charlie Carver, Isaac Powell and Denis O’Hare all set to appear in the upcoming episodes. Rounding out this year’s ensemble are alum Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Sandra Bernhard and Patti LuPone. In addition to the teaser, FX has shared new photos of some of the characters, revealing that Quinto is playing the whip-wielding Sam, Carver is Adam and Tovey is Patrick, who appears to be a cop or detective. A post shared by American Horror Story (@ahsfx)A post shared by American Horror Story (@ahsfx)A post shared by American Horror Story (@ahsfx)Spanning 10 episodes, will premiere with two episodes on Oct.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Carrie Bradshaw is back in her Dior heels. Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, the costume designers behind HBO Max’s “And Just Like That,” have been sharing behind-the-scenes images of the shoes and outfits as they prepare for Season 2. The show follows “Sex and the City’s” unforgettable group of New Yorkers — Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristen Davis).  When crafting the show’s style, the costume department uses “Sex and the City” high-end classics like Dior and Chanel — while also collaborating with new designers from social media and around the globe. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian twin directors Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo have started shooting in Rome on “Dostoevskij,” an eclectic detective drama involving a policeman with a troubled past. This first TV series written and directed by the D’Innocenzo brothers – who are known on the festival circuit for dark dramas “Boy’s Cry,” “Bad Tales” and “America Latina” – is an in-house Sky Studios production produced by the Comcast-owned pay-TV player with Rome’s Paco Cinematografica.  Filippo Timi (“Vincere,” “The Eight Mountains”) stars as Enzo Vitello, a sharp detective with a troubled past, who winds up on the blood trail of a ruthless serial killer, nicknamed Dostoevskij because of letters full of gruesome details that he leaves at crime scenes.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Frost, who recently left his post as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, has set up a production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, and has signed a first-look TV production deal with the indie studio. Under the pact, Frost is executive producing the high-profile new series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, starring Rhea Seehorn, which just landed at Apple TV+ with a big, two-season straight-to-series order.

National Geographic has closed a first-look deal with Chris Hemsworth and producer Ben Grayson’s newly formed Wild State, a multi-platform production company that develops scripted and unscripted content.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Superprod studio has acquired The Co-Production Company, the NY-based firm launched last year by former DreamWorks executive Doug Schwalbe for financing and distribution of international productions.