Will Smith, Darren Aronofsky, James Cameron & Jon Favreau Non-Fiction Series Lead Nat Geo’s Latest Disney+ Slate

The Power of the Dog barked the loudest, receiving 9 nods, the most of any other nominee, including nominations for best film, LGBTQ film, director, and acting for Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.The 1920s-set racial drama Passing, unceremoniously snubbed by the Oscars, the animated refugee documentary Flee, and Steven Spielberg’s dazzling remake of West Side Story snagged 5 nominations apiece.Netflix scored 23 nominations overall, Neon took 18, and Disney/20th Century Studios films received a total of nine.Formed in 2009, GALECA is comprised of over 350 journalists and critics covering film and TV accessible in the U.S. (two of its members include Metro Weekly‘s senior film and theater critic André Hereford and editor and longtime Washington, D.C.

AMC has announced additional cast for Tales of the Walking Dead, its new spinoff series set in The Walking Dead universe. Olivia Munn (Violet), Danny Ramirez (The Falcon & The Winter Soldier), Loan Chabanol (Fading Gigolo), Embeth Davidtz (Old, Ray Donovan), Jessie T. Usher (The Boys) and Gage Munroe (Nobody) have been tapped to star in the AMC Studios-produced episodic anthology series.

FX Chief John Landgraf provided an update at the network’s TCA winter tour panel today on Noah Hawley’s Alien series.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival said Thursday that newly minted Oscar nominee Penélope Cruz has been chosen to receive the Montecito Award at the festival’s 37th edition next month.

Angelique Jackson Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and David Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon have partnered with Netflix to produce the film adaptation of “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.”Based on the upcoming book by British-Nigerian author, journalist and hair care educator Tọlá Okogwu, “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” tells the tale of a teenager who learns she has powers and travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins, where she discovers a threat to her newfound magical community.Described as “Black Panther” meets “X-Men” or “Percy Jackson,” the book is the first in an action-packed series for middle-grade children and will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and U.K.

Vikings alum Ray Stevenson has joined the cast of Star Wars: Ahsoka, Disney+’s upcoming spinoff of The Mandalorian starring Rosario Dawson, sources have confirmed to Deadline.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRay Stevenson has been cast in the upcoming Disney Plus “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka,” Variety has confirmed with sources.He joins previously announced series lead Rosario Dawson, who will star as Ahsoka Tano, as well as cast members Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizz, and Ivanna Sakhno.Details on who Stevenson will be playing in the series are being kept under wraps, but it is believed that he will be playing a villain in the series, thought not the main villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn.Reps for Lucasfilm did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.This is not the first time Stevenson has been a part of the “Star Wars” universe. He previously lent his voice to the two animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” as the character Gar Saxon, a Mandalorian commando.

Will Smith had the support of his family while attending the premiere of the new Peacock series Bel-Air!

The Santa Barbara Film Festival on Thursday revealed the lineup for its 37th edition, which is set to run March 2-12 in-person in its customary spot in the heat of Oscar season.

Selome Hailu CBS has given a pilot order to “East New York,” a drama series written by William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn.The series follows Regina Haywood, the newly promoted police captain of East New York, an impoverished, working class neighborhood at the eastern edge of Brooklyn. She leads a diverse group of officers and detectives, some of whom are reluctant to deploy her creative methods of serving and protecting during the midst of social upheaval and the early seeds of gentrification.Finkelstein is best known for his writing and producing work on a number of police and legal dramas.

Peacock’s adaptation of NBC’s iconic sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”That series (1990-96) launched then-rap star Will Smith into superstardom, and his onscreen character, also named Will Smith, into TV lore when he’s sent to Bel Air, Calif. to live with his rich relatives after getting into trouble in his West Philadelphia neighborhood.

Will Smith has received his third Oscar nomination this morning, earning his place on the Best Actor list for his role in King Richard. Smith played Richard Williams, the father of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in a story charting the early days of their careers, and his role in the movie has been a favorite with critics and guilds all season long. In addition to pending nominations from SAG, BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice, Smith has already claimed prizes from several critics groups. It is a long-overdue return to the Oscars spotlight for Smith, whose turn in Warner Bros.’ King Richard, written by Zach Baylin and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, has been recognized 15 years on from his last citation by the Motion Picture Academy.

J. Kim Murphy National Geographic is sending Will Smith to both ends of the Earth.

EXCLUSIVE: After teaming in the Disney/Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Michelle Yeoh is set to top an international cast for the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed Disney+ fantastical series American Born Chinese. She will star alongside Ben Wang (MacGyver), Yeo Yann Yann (Wet Season), Chin Han (Mortal Kombat), Daniel Wu (Reminiscence), Ke Huy Quan (Finding Ohana), former Taekwondo champion Jim Liu and Sydney Taylor (Just Add Magic).

Selome Hailu CBS announced a pilot order for a currently untitled drama series from Scott Prendergast for the 2021-22 development season. Prendergast will serve as writer and executive producer.In the series, a talented but directionless private investigator who is the black sheep of his family begrudgingly agrees to work as the in-house investigator for his overbearing mother, a successful attorney reeling from the recent dissolution of her marriage.Prendergast is known for writing, directing and starring in the 2007 comedy film “Kabluey,” which follows a woman (Lisa Kudrow) struggling to keep her life together while her husband is away in Iraq, until her brother-in-law (Prendergast) shows up to help.

One glance at the recent filmography from director Justin Kurzel shows the filmmaker’s penchant for switching up genres with nearly every project. From “Macbeth” to “Assassin’s Creed” to “True History of the Kelly Gang” to last year’s “Nitram,” Kurzel is unafraid to change things up with each and every new feature.

Kirsten Dunst is looking back at her time on the set of the 2006 historical drama, and recalling just how «nervous» she was as a young actress in such a free-spirited and sometimes risqué project.Dunst recently reconnected with her co-star and on-screen love interest, Jamie Dornan, as part of's Actors on Actors chat series, and the pair reflected on their experiences on the set.After Dornan admitted that that he felt a bit intimidated by the film — considering it was his first-ever acting gig — Dunst revealed, «I was nervous too.»«All our stuff was like making out, and I’m not comfortable with that,» shared Dunst, who was 22 while filming the Sofia Coppola-directed drama. «It’s never comfortable, ever.»«I think my first time I even showed my breasts was with Sofia.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe Makeup and Hairstylist Guild will be honoring Jon Favreau with their Distinguished Artisan Award at the 9th Annual MUAHS Awards on Feb. 29.“Jon Favreau’s list of creative, exotic, and memorable characters lives on in his plethora of films, television movies and series.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Laura Dern have signed on to star in a new sci-fi drama movie, according to Deadline.