Shamier Anderson and Stephan James Ink First-Look Deal With Boat Rocker

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor“Hamilton” Tony nominee Christopher Jackson has signed a first-look deal with CBS Studios to produce across all platforms, including broadcast, streaming and premium cable.“I’m looking forward to continuing my partnership with CBS in this new capacity,” Jackson, whose work as George Washington in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” earned him Tony and Grammy nominations in 2016, tells me exclusively.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRandall Einhorn and his Sad Unicorn banner have moved to Warner Bros. Television with a multi-year first-look deal, Variety has learned exclusively.Einhorn previously had an overall deal at ABC Signature.

Selome Hailu editorNetflix has acquired “The Henna Artist,” a series being developed by Sri Rao as an adaptation of Alka Joshi’s novel of the same name.Freida Pinto will star in and executive produce “The Henna Artist,” which is set in 1950s Jaipur, India and follows Lakshmi (Pinto) as the city’s most in-demand henna artist.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has taken in for development The Henna Artist, a series based on Alka Joshi’s bestselling debut novel from Miramax TV, with Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) attached to star and executive produce and Michael Edelstein executive producing. The project will be written and executive produced by Sri Rao as part of a first-look deal Rao has signed with Netflix.

Emmerdale has released first look photos of Tuesday's (19 October) episode after Monday (18 October) saw a perilous rope bridge collapse above a canyon during the residents' survival challenge. Ahead of the next instalment, the ITV soap has teased what is to come after Manpreet Sharma and Charles Anderson fell from the suspended bridge into the choppy waters below them.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterVillage Roadshow has signed NBA star Kevin Garnett to a first-look partnership, which will span television, film and digital content.Garnett runs Content Cartel Studios with partners Brian Bennett and Mike Marangu. The first project up at the global-facing company is a feature documentary on hall of famer Wilt Chamberlain, who holds two NBA championships and in 1962 became the only player to score 100 points in a single game.

Former NBA star Kevin Garnett’s Content Cartel Studios has struck a first-look deal with Village Roadshow Entertainment and the two companies have set a feature documentary about Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain as their first project.

Selome Hailu editorHulu released a first look at Gillian Anderson as Catherine’s mother Joanna in Season 2 of “The Great,” which premieres Nov. 19.The comedy-drama, billed as “anti-historical,” satirizes the story of Catherine the Great, Empress of All Russia.

Danielle Turchiano Senior Features Editor, TVOver the years, as “Schitt’s Creek” grew in popularity, co-creator and star Dan Levy says he got many offers to write a book about the show. It wasn’t until after the CBC-Pop TV family sitcom wrapped its six-season run that he began working on one, though.

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Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTresor, a leading German production banner owned by Keshet International, has signed an exclusive first-look deal with MGM Television’s global division to access their non-scripted formats in Germany. Under the one-year deal, which kicks off this month, Tresor will get an exclusive window on all new non-scripted formats in MGM’s Global Formats catalogue.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSwedish video game publisher Raw Fury has entered into a first-look deal with dj2 Entertainment, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the terms of the deal, dj2 will get the first opportunity to develop film and TV projects based on Raw Fury games.

EXCLUSIVE: Eugenio Derbez and 3Pas Studios—run by Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell— inked a first-look deal with Univision to create original scripted and unscripted Spanish-language projects for Univision’s global streaming SVOD content slate set to launch in 2022.

Boat Rocker is expanding its relationship with brothers Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, stars of Boat Rocker’s anticipated series Invasion and Beacon 23, respectively, with a first-look deal. Under the pact, the brothers will develop and produce original television projects for the company under their Bay Mills Studios banner.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShaka King has signed a first-look deal at FX.Under the deal, King will develop new TV projects for FX through his newly launched production company, I’d Watch That.

FX Productions has signed a first-look deal with Shaka King, best known for writing, directing and producing “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Under the agreement, King will develop new TV series for FX through his production company I’d Watch That. Brandon Harris is the company’s president and co-founder.

Judas and the Black Messiah writer-director-producer Shaka King is expanding his work in television, signing a first-look deal with FX Productions. Under the pact, King will develop new TV series for FX through his recently launched production company I’d Watch That, with the company’s co-founder Brandon Harris.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Sopranos” creator David Chase has signed a five year first-look deal with WarnerMedia.News of the deal comes on the day that “The Many Saints of Newark,” a “Sopranos” prequel film written by Chase and Lawrence Konner, is debuting in theaters and on HBO Max. Under his new deal, Chase will develop content for HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros.

Selome Hailu editorAfter finishing a two-decade tenure as an executive at the Sundance Institute, Bird Runningwater has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, where he will produce television and film projects for Amazon Prime Video.A member of the Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache Tribal Nations, Runningwater has been at the Sundance Institute since 2001 as the director of Indigenous programs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and artist programs.

Amazon Studios has signed a first-look deal with former Sundance Institute programmer Bird Runningwater.