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Apple TV+ has officially picked up Murderbot, a 10-episode sci-fi drama series starring and executive produced by Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård (Succession). Based on Martha Wells’ bestselling, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series, The Murderbot Diaries, the project hails from Chris and Paul Weitz (About a Boy) and Paramount Television Studios.

BreAnna Bell A sci-fi series based on Martha Wells novels, “The Murderbot Diaries,” has landed at Apple TV+. Hailing from “About a Boy” creators Chris and Paul Weitz, “Murderbots” follows a self-hacking security android who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe. Alexander Skarsgård will lead the series and will serve as executive producer.

One day after Deadline revealed that Netflix beat out seven other bidders for an untitled international heist comedy package built around Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy has boarded as director and joined the roster of producers headed by Genre Films’ Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon, Reynolds through his Maximum Effort banner, and Dana Fox, the Lost City scribe who will write the script.

Naman Ramachandran Indo-British sports drama “A Game of Two Halves,” which tackles themes of identity crisis and racial dissonance, is set for a global bow in 2024. Directed by British Asian filmmaker Khayam Khan (“Bus Ride”), the film is set across the U.K. and India.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said the UK was “complicit in the killing of thousands of children” after the UK voted against a ceasefire in Gaza.

Ethan Shanfeld Don’t worry darling, Olivia Wilde is back with another movie: a Christmas comedy titled “Naughty” and backed by Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap. The film, written by “Cocaine Bear” screenwriter Jimmy Warden, is described as “Bridesmaids” in the North Pole. It follows single mom Mallory, who, in order to gain custody of her son from her awful ex, must find Santa Claus and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Apple Studios has emerged victorious in a bidding war for “Two For The Money,” a hot package that has attached Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and ex-007 Daniel Craig. Justin Lin, who oversaw several “Fast & Furious” films, is set to direct and produce.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Winterstone Pictures has secured the rights to “The Dark Between Stars” and “Love Her Wild,” by the bestselling author Atticus, who is also known as the world’s most “mysterious poet.” Ashley Avis, director of Disney’s “Black Beauty” and the upcoming film “City of Angels” for Warner Bros., is set to write, direct and produce under her own banner. The feature film will draw inspiration from the true story of the enigmatic author, who chose to remain anonymous after the death of a close friend.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Amblin TV has built its reputation over the past three decades as one of the industry’s busiest boutiques, producing scripted series across all major platforms that range from popcorn (“Bull,” “Falling Skies”) to prestige (“The Americans,” “Into the West”). But in recent years, there’s been a new storytelling target for Amblin TV chiefs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, who have headed Steven Spielberg’s TV production banner (previously DreamWorks TV) for more than 20 years.

Campaigners have blocked a defence company's shipyard in Glasgow over its ties to Israel.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thrillers and movies about the supernatural, has picked up distribution rights to “In a Violent Nature” ahead of its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It’s the debut feature film from writer and director Chris Nash and it is slated to screen in Sundance’s Midnight Section.

Bleecker Street has quietly snapped up U.S. rights to Sasquatch Sunset, the newest feature from renowned brother filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner (Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter), for release in theaters in 2024.

Karim Debbagh‘s leading Tangier-based line producer Kasbah Films has secured a raft of U.S. and U.K. projects that will lense in Morocco, including “Lords of War,” the sequel to “Lord of War,” starring Nicolas Cage as the world’s most notorious arms dealer.

This case is so disturbing. A man in Phoenix, Arizona, has been arrested after he allegedly had sex with a corpse in the morgue! According to court documents obtained by Fo

Sabrina Carpenter accepted the Variety Hitmakers Rising Artist Award presented by H&M on Saturday, using the popular fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare” as a metaphor for her rise in the music industry. “Something that my mom always said to me as a little girl that really annoyed me was that I am the tortoise, and if you guys know the tortoise and the hare thing, that pissed me off a lot because, you know, throughout my life, [I was] being told, ‘Sabrina, you’re the tortoise, just chill,’ like ‘it’s okay, you’re the tortoise, just slow down, it’s going to be okay,'” Carpenter said. “In moments of frustration and confusion it can feel like a letdown, but it turns out it’s actually a very good thing.

K.J. Yossman Update: Following an investigation, the person reported to have made antisemitic statements to a number of individuals at the U.K.’s Grierson Documentary Awards earlier this month has been banned from attending the ceremony again for the next decade.

A school is to hold a demonstration next to a busy dual carriageway in a bid to get an extra crossing patrol. Parents, teachers, and pupils from St Matthew's C of E Primary in Stretford will take part next week.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Indie streamer Nebula has picked up “Dracula’s Ex-Girlfriend,” a short film from YouTube star and actress Abigail Thorn that centers on how “toxic” relationships with the legendary bloodsucker have affected two of his exes. Described as “‘Jennifer’s Body’ meets ‘Euphoria,'” the “sexy and irreverent” short will debut in early Summer 2024 on Nebula under the Nebula Originals banner.

Guy Fieri is sticking with the Food Network.

Earlier today, a lengthy piece on the web site Futurism began causing a stir among journalists at one of America’s most venerated media institutions. The piece alleged that stories on the Sports Illustrated web site “were churned out using AI,” and that the contributor profiles on many of them were also AI-generated, right down to the author photos, which Futurism’s researchers claim they found on sites selling AI-generated images.

Manchester United's players had been on the ground in Istanbul for a matter of minutes when they got their first taste of what awaited them in November 1993. As Sir Alex Ferguson's squad made their way into the arrivals hall at the city's airport, they were greeted by a deafening din from a few thousand Galatasaray fans keen to greet them. "Welcome to Hell", said the banners as Ferguson, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, Peter Schmeichel and co put their passports away.

Everton supporters protested against their Premier League points deduction on Sunday ahead of and during their home game against Manchester United.

Everton supporters have been handed cards with the Premier League logo and the word 'corrupt' emblazoned across the front of them ahead of Sunday afternoon's tussle with Manchester United at Goodison Park.

Pro-Palestinian protesters marched through Manchester city centre this morning (November 25), targeting a bank and offices of companies which they claim are linked to an Israeli arms firm. The demonstration, which started in Piccadilly Gardens at around 11.30am, saw more than 100 people protest outside Barclays in Market Street, before marching down Deansgate towards Peter Street.

K.J. Yossman Disney+ has struck a deal with U.K. streamer ITVX to license some of its shows.

Broadcasters Sky Sports reportedly plan to dull down the noise of the Everton crowd in Sunday’s clash against Manchester United amid a scheduled in-game protest.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Less than three months after being tapped CEO of Banijay France, Alexia Laroche-Joubert, a well-known industry figure, has enlisted Authentic Media, a leading French premium scripted banner that will join the “Peaky Blinders” production-distribution powerhouse. The acquisition of Authentic Media, who produced hit French adaptations of series such as “Rita” and “This is Us,” will further bolster Banijay France’s portfolio of scripted labels.

J. Kim Murphy Melissa Barrera issued her first response regarding her recent exit from the “Scream” franchise. Spyglass Media Group fired the actor, citing her social media activity regarding the ongoing attack on Gaza by Israeli forces; the production banner deemed the posts as antisemitic.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After expanding into the U.K., the U.S. and the Netherlands, Paris-based leading unscripted production banner Satisfaction is set to gain ground in Spanish-speaking markets.

Tatiana Siegel Spyglass Media Group initially declined comment when Variety broke the news that the company had dropped Melissa Barrera from the cast of “Scream 7.” But now the production banner behind the hit horror franchise’s revival is pushing back on a narrative that has quickly coalesced around the decision: that Barrera was fired for showing support for the Palestinian cause. Instead, a spokesperson clarifies that Barrera’s posts were interpreted as antisemitic. “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson tells Variety.

K.J. Yossman “Black Mirror” is coming back for a seventh season, Variety understands. The hit sci-fi show created by Charlie Brooker returned to screens earlier this year after a four-year hiatus, garnering record viewing numbers on Netflix.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief EST Media, the Asian-focused film and video group, hatched by Jaeson Ma and former Vice Media executive Eric Tu, is now diversifying into publishing. It is launching EST Articles under its Eastern Standard Times journalism banner. The digital-only publication is “dedicated to exploring the voices and stories of the Asian and Asian diaspora communities through written medium to long-form, in-depth articles,” EST Media said.

An Everton fan group has announced its plans to protest the points deduction their club has suffered during Saturday's match between Manchester City and Liverpool.

An Everton fan group has announced its plans to protest the points deduction their club has suffered during Sunday's match with Manchester United.

Jaden Thompson Seven Bucks Productions, founded by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, has tapped Scott Landsman and Melissa Fried as head of television and VP of film development and production, respectively. These appointments come along as the multi-platform production company works to expand its film and television slate, following the success of the “Jumanji” franchise, “Hobbs and Shaw” and other titles produced under its banner.

EXCLUSIVE: Li Lu, the award-winning writer, director and producer behind the three-part docuseries A Town Called Victoria, broadcast nationwide last week on PBS, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.