Sugar23 Signs ‘Ozark’s Charlie Tahan

EXCLUSIVE: MGM+ has cast Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark) as the female lead opposite Alexander Ludwig in Earth Abides, a limited series that promises to offer an imaginative new take on George R. Stewart’s classic sci-fi novel of the same name.

Cinema owners, studios and indie distributors gathering in Las Vegas this week for exhibition’s biggest confab seek visibility into a theatrical landscape gut-punched by Hollywood strikes last year just as a post-Covid recovery was revving up. Production halted for months led to fewer releases on the schedule. But there’s reason for optimism, from Dune 2 and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire to a tentpole-laden slate with clips and peeks eagerly awaited by the CinemaCon crowd. Amazon and Apple and studio parents recognize the value of an exclusive theatrical release — a realization that wasn’t at all a given post-pandemic. National Association of Theatre Owners president and CEO Michael O’Leary and Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, talked with Deadline on the state of the industry as CinemaCon kicks off and ahead of their keynotes on Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed stand-up comedian, actor, and creator Frankie Quiñones (This Fool) for representation in all areas.

Ozark star Julia Garner has been cast as Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer, in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four.The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress will star alongside Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing).Matt Shakman, who helmed the Marvel series WandaVision for Disney+ and Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters for Apple TV+, is set to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four film.The Silver Surfer was previously portrayed by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.Speaking on how The Fantastic Four will differ from previous Marvel films, Shakman said in October: “It’s different in so many ways.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Anyone who was hoping to pay to hear the “Vultures” album played back in an arena in the near future may be out of luck. The next round of “listening sessions” with Kanye West, aka Ye, and Ty Dolla Sign for the album project has been called off, as the arenas that were scheduled to host the next round of large-scale playbacks in April announced over the weekend that the dates were canceled or otherwise quietly pulled the plug.

EXCLUSIVE: Searchlight has set five more for major roles in its Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold and starring Timothée Chalamet: Boyd Holbrook (The Bikeriders), Scoot McNairy (Argo), Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Will Harrison (Daisy Jones & The Six) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark).

There may be temporary feelings of unease on Monday as the lunar eclipse comes around, according to the MEN's resident medium. Stuart Cassels, from Stockport notes that although the eclipse won't be visible with the naked eye, it's effect on people will still be prevalent.

A lot of thought and effort goes into giving a child the perfect name!

It's been just days since Charlie Fairhead's emotional departure from Casualty, which left fans devastated. Now it seems another legend might be leaving the show – hot on the heels of Charlie actor Derek Thompson, who quit after 38 years. A gripping trailer hints at tough times ahead for Dylan Keogh, played by William Beck, as he's seen handing over his ID badge in a moment of despair.

BABYMONSTER‘s upcoming mini-album ‘BABYMONS7ER’ is set to include a song called ‘Like That’, which was a “gift” to the band by Charlie Puth.YG Entertainment uploaded a new video earlier today (March 18) featuring founder Yang Hyun-suk breaking down all the tracks on the girl group’s upcoming record first mini-album, ‘BABYMONS7ER’, including ‘Like That’.“I think this will be a surprise for everyone,” Yang said, before revealing that “Charlie Puth gifted BABYMONSTER a song”. He also shared that Puth’s gift to the band was in response to Ahyeon’s viral cover of his song ‘Dangerously’ when she was a trainee, which has since amassed over 39million views on YouTube.“Charlie Puth is an artist I really admire and the members are also big fans of him,” Yang added.

With Casualty’s longest-running actor Derek Thompson having quit the show, BBC bosses are said to hope Barney Walsh will fill the void. Derek, who played Charlie Fairhead, announced he was leaving the medical drama in May last year and said: "The time has come for me to hang up Charlie's scrubs." He also added that his exit storyline as one of “the best episodes of my career".

Casualty bosses are said to be hoping Barney Walsh will be the perfect replacement as the lead nurse following Derek Thompson's departure. The 26-year-old actor joined the cast in 2023 as nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite, reports the Mirror.

After almost four decades on the BBC medical drama Casualty, Derek Thompson’s final scenes as Charlie Fairhead were aired on Saturday 16 March and fans were emotional to say the least. During the episode on Saturday 9 March, Charlie was stabbed by a patient (played by Hollyoaks actor Angus Castle-Doughty). And viewers were left fearing soap icon, Charlie, would be killed off as his life was left hanging in the balance.

EastEnders icon Annette Badland, who fans will remember as Aunt Babe, is set to appear in Casualty for Charlie Fairhead's final episode on Saturday (March 16). She'll be playing Charge Nurse Shirley in special flashback scenes from the 1980s.

Given all the paparazzi photos out there, which obviously spoil a lot of movie secrets and thus we try and avoid them, it’s probably the worst kept secret in the world for Marvel, but yes, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson are returning for the Marvel series, “Daredevil: Born Again” which has been shooting for most of this year. Charlie Cox, who stars as Matt Murdoch and the superhero Daredevil, recently confirmed the news to Collider, but again, fans who are eagle-eyed on social media probably know this as ancient news.

EXCLUSIVE: 2 Broke Girls and Thor actress Kat Denningshas signed with Gersh for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: Gina Carano (The Mandalorian, Deadpool) has signed with Straightwire Entertainment Group for management.

Thania Garcia Together with Spotify, the 100 Percenters, who have long rallied for more equitable treatment for songwriters in the industry, will offer career grants of $2,500 each to ten professional songwriters and producers. The partnership is supported by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund as the latest part of its ongoing commitment to fostering equity in the audio space. Applications for these grants will be open starting March 15 and will close April 15.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Rachel Bloom has signed with WME for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. She continues to be repped by Sugar23, Ginsburg Daniels Kallis LLP, and April Tombs at YMU.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Nathan Silver has inked with CAA, we have learned.