Studiocanal Signs Film Output Deal With Scanbox Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)

BET has signed comedian, actress and producer Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams to a multi-year overall deal under which she will produce, write and perform in new series and other projects—both scripted and unscripted— across BET and Paramount Global.

Wilson Chapman editorHilary Swank (“Million Dollar Baby”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”) and Olivia Cooke (“House of the Dragon”) are set to star in the upcoming opioid-themed thriller “Mother’s Milk.”The film, which recently wrapped production in New York, comes from director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who co-wrote the script with Madison Harrison. Prior credits from the director include Sundance Special Jury Prize winner “As You Are,” and the Margot Robbie-starring “Dreamland.” Aside from the three leads, additional cast includes Dilone, Hopper Penn, Norm Lewis and Karen Aldridge.“Mother’s Milk” follows a journalist who, after the murder of her estranged son, forms an unlikely alliance with his pregnant girlfriend to track down those responsible for his death.

The Purge and Ouija franchises could not have been more collaborative, and we are thrilled to formalize our ongoing partnership with this new agreement.” Deadline first reported the news.More to come…

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Cake Boss” star Buddy Valastro, a longtime staple in the Warner Bros. Discovery lifestyle brands family, is making A+E Networks his new TV home.The cable giant has signed custom cake whiz Valastro, who rose to fame through his TLC reality series “Cake Boss,” which is centered on his long-standing family business Carlo’s Bakery, to a multi-platform creative partnership.The pact encompasses more than 60 hours of original programming, including development of multiple new series and holiday specials produced by A+E’s Six West Media, in association with Valastro’s Cakehouse Media.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Opening the 26th Fantasia Int’l Film Festival in Montreal on July 14, writer-director KC Carthew’s “Polaris” is her sophomore pic after her multi-award-winning debut feature, “The Sun at Midnight” (2017). A teaser, bowing exclusively in Variety, reveals a dystopian thriller set in a frigid, snow-blanketed wasteland.An expansion of her award-winning short film “Fish out of Water,” which also bowed at Fantasia in 2015, “Polaris” turns on Sumi, a young girl who has been raised by a polar bear.

Kevin Williamson, the writer behind the original “Scream” movie and the creator of shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Vampire Diaries,” has signed with CAA, TheWrap has learned exclusively. Kevin Williamson is a filmmaker, writer, creator, producer and director, who first broke out with the script for the 1996 slasher horror film “Scream.

Slowthai has signed a new publishing deal with BMG for his future works, including an upcoming third album.“We are big fans of Slowthai here at BMG and have been watching him closely since his first LP”, says Tom Cater, BMG Senior Manager A&R Publishing UK. “We can’t wait for what he does next”.BMG SVP Publishing UK Hugo Turquet adds: “It’s an honour to welcome Slowthai to BMG.

Peaky Blinders and Cobra producer Joe Donaldson has set an indie, Magic Hour Television, and signed a first-look deal with All3Media International and All3Media-owned drama house New Pictures. Donaldson will develop a slate, funded by All3 and its international arm, and partner with New Pictures co-founder and CEO Willow Grylls to produce scripted TV.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRobin Thede has signed a three-year overall deal with HBO.Under the deal, Thede will develop content exclusively for HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Television.

Selome Hailu Bruna Papandrea’s production company Made Up Stories has acquired the rights to Marina Palmer’s thriller novel “The Russian Doll,” Variety has learned exclusively. Made Up Stories will produce a limited series based on the novel in partnership with Endeavor Content.“The Russian Doll” is set in the dangerous and deceptive underworld of organized crime.

win an Emmy for lead actor in a drama series. He also just won his second Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer on “A Strange Loop.”Gugenheim recently finished producing Porter’s feature directorial debut “Anything’s Possible” for Orion/MGM.In a statement of his own, Gugenheim said: “While ‘Pose’ was an incredible show that had a deep impact on strengthening my understanding of the importance of telling underrepresented stories and created a clear opening to approach Billy to direct ‘Anything’s Possible,’ it was working on set with Billy and watching him direct the cast and crew that left me with the most profound experience.

Quentin Dupieux’s wild comedy “Smoking Causes Coughing” rolling off its world premiere at Cannes festival’s Midnight section. Gaumont co-produced the film and is representing it in international markets.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGeneration Now, the Atlanta-based label imprint founded by DJ Drama, Don Cannon and Leighton “Lake” Morrison, has extended its joint venture partnership with Atlantic Records. The partnership launched in 2015 and labels have launched the careers of Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert — who collectively have achieved a whopping 30 billion-plus streams globally — and many others.

Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company is heading to Amazon’s Audible platform.Following the end of a three-year deal with Spotify, the Obamas have reportedly inked an exclusive multi-year, first-look deal with the Amazon-owned platform.While firm details surrounding the Obamas’ new deal with Audible remain unclear at this time, comments from Michelle Obama hint at the possibility of their content with Audible being released on multiple streaming platforms.The Audible deal will see the Obamas “keep striving to tell compelling, provocative, and soulful stories — while doing everything we can to make sure they reach the folks who need to hear them,” Michelle Obama told The Hollywood Reporter.A Higher Ground spokesperson also told The Hollywood Reporter that the two companies “plan to make the Audible Originals available to the widest possible audience”.The newly signed deal with Audible comes after the Obamas’ three-year deal with streaming giant Spotify ended earlier this year. The Spotify deal saw them “develop, produce and appear” on select podcasts through their Higher Ground production company.The Obamas’ contributions to Spotify notably included the eight-part podcast series Renegades: Born In The USA with Bruce Springsteen.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning screenwriter Chris Terrio has signed with Theresa Kang-Lowe’s Blue Marble Management for representation across film, television and all media.

Directors Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre take home the top prize for their animated film Little Nicholas–Happy as Can Be at the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. 

Austin Butler paid a visit to the “Tonight Show” and got host Jimmy Fallon all shook up.

Warner Bros. Television Group adds to its growing roster of talent by signing a new first-look deal with writer/producer Bill Prady and Chris Sanagustin’s Pine Tree Entertainment. Under the terms of the deal, Pine Tree Entertainment will develop new scripted programming — including dramas, multi- and single-camera comedies, genre series, and more — for all platforms, including HBO Max, external streaming services, cable, and broadcast networks.