Writer JJ Bailey Inks Overall Deal With Universal TV, Sets ‘The Hunting Party’ Crime Procedural At NBC

K.J. Yossman Jáde Osiberu, creator of upcoming Amazon Original movie “Gangs of Lagos,” has inked an overall deal with the streamer. The three-year deal will include original scripted dramas and features from Osiberu’s production company Greoh Studios. Osiberu, who is the creator of hit projects including “Sugar Rush,” “Isoken” and “Gidi Up,” follows others creators including Steve McQueen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Jenny Han in signing similar international agreements. “I am overjoyed with this collaboration and already feel like I’m part of the Prime Video and Amazon Studios family,” said Osiberu. “It will be an absolute pleasure to introduce Prime Video audiences to the most exciting talent and storylines Nigeria has to offer, and I’m looking forward to continuing to help elevate Nigerian stories on a global scale.”

Jáde Osiberu, the co-writer and director of Gangs of Lagos, has signed an overall deal with Prime Video, the studio behind the upcoming feature drama.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Corus Entertainment has struck an overall deal with U.K.-Canadian production company Dominion of Drama, and appointed its founder Jeff Norton as the head of its new imprint, Waterside Studios. Waterside Studios is positioned as a new IP and production venture focused on premium scripted Canadian content for youth and primetime audiences. The outfit will cater to the Canadian as well as international marketplace. Norton most recently served as a consultant for Corus, and previously as executive producer of “Trucktown” for production company Nelvana. He also co-wrote the novel “Keeping the Beat,” which was one of the launch titles for Kids Can Press’ young adult KCP Loft imprint.

Ethan Shanfeld Disney made quite a splash at its D23 Expo last weekend with a first look at Halle Bailey’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which earned over 104 million global views, Variety has learned exclusively. The clip takes viewers on a journey through the ocean before showing the shimmering underwater life of Ariel (Bailey), who teases her version of the iconic “Little Mermaid” song “Part of Your World.” “The Little Mermaid” teaser floated above those of all recent Disney live-action titles, including “Cruella” (68 million views), “Beauty and the Beast” (94 million views), “Alladin” (74 million views) and “Maleficent 2” (62 million views). Due to Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, “The Little Mermaid” metrics do not include views from the U.K., Ireland and Australia.

Dove Cameron, Kelsea Ballerini and Madison Bailey were seen all over New York Fashion Week this weekend!

EXCLUSIVE: Kim Harrison, executive producer and co-showrunner of The Crossover, has signed an overall deal with 20th Television, the studio behind the upcoming basketball drama series for Disney+.

EXCLUSIVE: Saeed Crumpler is getting into business with Sony Pictures Television. The rapper-turned-screenwriter has signed a multi-year overall deal to develop new projects for the studio.

EXCLUSIVE: Justine Juel Gillmer, exec producer of Amazon’s big-budget series The Wheel of Time, has scored a studio home.

Anna Kendrick is set to make her directorial debut with the true crime thriller The Dating Game from Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios.

Coronation Street's Bailey family is set to expand as bosses shared details of the latest arrival in Weatherfield. Aggie, Ed, and their two sons Michael and James arrived on the street back in 2019. They were then followed by Ed's brother, Ronnie Bailey, early last year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Travis Fimmel (“Vikings,” “Warcraft”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist,” “Breath”) and Phoebe Tonkin head the adult cast of “Boy Swallows Universe,” an Australia-set fantasy-drama series. Production has now begun in Brisbane, Queensland. The eight-part limited series is an adaptation of Trent Dalton’s international best-selling novel “Boy Swallows Universe” and is being produced by Brouhaha Entertainment, together with Anonymous Content and Chapter One, for streaming platform Netflix. “Boy Swallows Universe” follows working-class Brisbane teenager Eli Bell in a whirlwind story about drug addiction, ex-cons, poverty, violence and the discovery of hope through the power of love. Dalton has pitched the story as involving “a boy who receives a message on a red rotary dial phone in a secret underground room that tells him he must bust into Brisbane’s notorious Boggo Road Prison to save his mum’s life on Christmas Day.”

William Earl Variety will host three parties, in addition to its interview and portrait studio, at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. To kick off the festival, Variety will celebrate its Billy Eichner cover story with a cocktail party for his film “Bros” on Sept. 9. Universal’s romantic comedy, featuring an all-LGBT cast, will premiere at TIFF. Skyy Vodka is the premier partner of the party and will provide a custom cocktail for guests to enjoy. On Sept. 10, Variety and Chanel will bring back their celebration of female filmmakers with a private, invite-only dinner with top talent, filmmakers and executives. Chanel has partnered with TIFF to create the Chanel Women Writers’ Network, an alumnae program and extension of Share Her Journey’s annual TIFF Writers’ Studio. The Chanel Women Writers’ Network reinforces the brand’s commitment to championing women in the arts and creating opportunities for their artistic and professional development.

Here in its near entirety are the streaming and some theatrical dates for Netflix’s fall and holiday movie lineup.

EXCLUSIVE: The Great North co-creators Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin are extending their relationship with the studio behind the popular animated comedy, signing a new overall deal with 20th Television Animation.

K.J. Yossman Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta’s 60Forty Films has inked an overall deal with Apple TV+, Variety can exclusively reveal. They are already in production on upcoming Apple TV+ thriller series “Hijack,” starring Idris Elba, which they are producing alongside Idiotlamp Productions and Elba’s company Green Door Pictures. “Hijack” tells the story of Sam Nelson (played by Elba), an accomplished business negotiator whose quick-thinking, smooth-talking skills become crucial when the plane he is on is hijacked. Laurenson and Kousetta have worked closely with Apple for a number of years, including on Gary Oldman-starrer “Slow Horses” (pictured above) and “The Essex Serpent,” starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston, both of which the duo lead exec produced.

Heist 88 and the shared vision for our upcoming four-part event series based on The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.” Previous projects under the deal include Smithsonian Channel’s “One Thousand Years of Slavery” and a limited series on the Tulsa Race Massacre, which is slated to be released in 2023.“Angela and Courtney have masterfully brought to the forefront events from our history in order to tell exhilarating and dramatic stories that resonate with global audiences,” said Nina L. Diaz, president of content and chief creative officer of Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance have renewed the overall deal with MTV Entertainment Studios for their Bassett Vance Productions, and have set Heist 88, starring Vance, as the first feature under the new pact.

EXCLUSIVE: Dana Honor, a respected TV producer and development executive, has signed an exclusive overall deal with Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Under the pact, Honor will develop and produce projects across various platforms under her newly launched Defining Eve Productions banner.

Toni Collette (The Staircase) has been tapped as a lead in The Power, Prime Video’s 10-episode global thriller drama based on Naomi Alderman’s feminist sci-fi book, while The Good Wife alum Josh Charles is set for a key recurring role in the series from Jane Featherstone’s Sister and director Reed Morano. They replace Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins, respectively, who both exited the series in May.