For a brief moment Monday night, Hollywood folks put aside any concerns they have about the industry’s troubles and found reason to celebrate at the Walt Disney Co.’s “Toast to Television.” The event, held at Soho House Hollywood, was exactly that: A moment for some of the
Last week, Nia Long got the tap on the shoulder she’s been waiting for forever. It was a summons from Katherine Jackson, the matriarch of the Jackson family, whom she portrays in the new biopic, “Michael.” Long steeled herself as she walked into a green room backstage at the
Variety’s annual A Night in the Writers’ Room event returns on May 7 in Los Angeles. The event will feature intimate conversations and behind-the-scenes insights into the art and craft of television storytelling for a curated audience of TV voting members. Programming for the
Quixote Studios is shuttering its Atlanta-based production services business and winding down its soundstage business in L.A. amid an ongoing production slump, the company announced Tuesday. The changes will mean layoffs for about 70 people in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Hudson
Parent company Disney is being ordered to refile for licenses for the eight stations it owns after the president and First Lady demanded the late-night host to be fired over a joke
Avex Music Group, the global music company of Japanese entertainment giant Avex helmed by CEO Brandon Silverstein, has announced the launch of a $100 million fund to be aimed at catalog acquisitions, structured through a financing deal with City National Bank. According to the
Shannon Elizabeth’s pivot to OnlyFans is off to a blockbuster start. Creators Inc. CEO Andy Bachman reveals the “American Pie” and “Scary Movie” star has “grossed seven figures in her first week on the platform,” with sources telling Variety that Elizabeth surpassed the $1.2
On the Croisette, the Canneseries Festival has quietly stepped into its own spotlight. Since 2025, when MipTV moved to London, the pink-carpeted TV festival has sharpened its identity as a standalone event spearheaded by artistic director Albin Lewi. A month before the Cannes
“Hazbin Hotel” has been renewed for a fifth and final season, Prime Video has announced. From creator Vivienne Medrano, A24 and Fox Entertainment’s Bento Box Entertainment, the series follows Charlie, described as “the princess of Hell,” as she “pursues her seemingly
Neither actor attended Tuesday’s pre-trial conference where attorneys argued over the admissibility of expert witness testimony regarding Lively's reputational damage and economic losses
When these sportscasters tell viewers a game has juice, they won’t be kidding. Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho and sportscaster Abby Labar will serve as studio anchors for the inaugural Enhanced Games, a series of competitions slated to take place in late May that allow the
The Tribeca Festival has released its 2026 lineup of talks, reunions and retrospectives, featuring conversations with stars including Sean Penn, Paul Rudd, Keke Palmer, Dwyane Wade, Finneas and Este Haim. A series of one-night-only events spanning film, music and culture,
“Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse been sentenced to life in prison by a Nebraska judge for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, according to the Associated Press. A jury had previously convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault of
Netflix has renewed the animated series “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85” for Season 2. The news comes just five days after the series premiered on April 23. The events of the animated show take place between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live-action mothership series. The official
“Unchosen” debuted as the most-watched TV series on Netflix during the week of April 20-26, hitting 10.4 million views in its first six days of availability after its April 21 premiere. It was outdone by a few titles on the movies chart, though; the thriller “Apex” debuted at
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass proclaimed Tuesday that Hollywood is “turning a corner,” as production volume ticked up slightly in the first quarter of 2026 on the back of increased state subsidies. Bass, who is in a tough race for reelection, hailed the increase as a sign that
The Emmy Award-winning series’ will return to Apple TV on Aug. 5
“Alice and Steve,” played by Nicola Walker (“The Split”) and Jemaine Clement (“What We Do in the Shadows”), are best friends. And then they aren’t, because Steve sleeps with Alice’s twentysomething daughter Izzy and starts dating her. “I love describing this premise,” laughs
“Papertown,” a documentary directed by Jeremy Seifert (“Sacred Planet: The Heart of the World”, “The Devil We Know”) and Co-Directed by Benjamin James Roberts is set to premiere at the MountainFilm Festival on May 22. The documentary chronicles the sudden closure of a
On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, writer-producer Aaron Tracy discusses his hugely popular Imagine/iHeart Media podcast “The Secret World of Roald Dahl.” The author of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda,” “The BFG” and many
Macro and Andreessen Horowitz’s Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) announced the inaugural class for The Epigraph Creator Fellowship, a unique program that pairs filmmakers with frontier AI tools to integrate into their creative process. The selected fellows are Bianca Lambert,
Disney+ series “Alice and Steve” swept Canneseries on Tuesday night, scoring best series as well as a Special Interpretation and Student Award. A Disney+ commission by its U.K. office and part of its push into comedy, “Alice and Steve”marks the latest from “Sex Education”
Fernando Mendoza is already making his mark on the NFL even before he plays his first game. The Indiana Hoosiers quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner was the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft last week, with the 22-year-old selected by the Las Vegas Raiders. Now,
Frameline will host the 50th edition of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ film festival from June 17-27.
Production company Forced Perspective and venture firm The Boldest have formed a strategic partnership to develop scalable, franchise-ready IP across film and television, via a new IP fund. The partnership brings together Forced Perspective’s Jazzy Collins and The Boldest’s
After years in development, YouTube TV is finally rolling out a customizable multiview feature for subscribers, letting you view up to four channels on one screen. Previously, YouTube TV’s multiview, first introduced in March 2023, was limited to a pre-set list of sports and
Showrunner Mike White is rewriting the role for Dern as production on Season Four continues
Veteran French producer Marco Cherqui, best known for Jacques Audiard’s Oscar-nominated film “A Prophet,” will next produce “La Petite,” a four-part drama commissioned by France 2. Set to shoot in six weeks, the series will be directed by Antoine Garceau (Call My Agent!) and
Nearly 24 years after the murder of Jam Master Jay, another conviction in the case has landed. Jay Bryant, a 52-year-old resident of Far Rockaway, Queens, pleaded guilty yesterday to providing access to a studio in Queens where Jam Master Jay — born Jason Mizell, and the man
Dave Chappelle is joining Netflix Is a Joke 2026 with three nights of shows at the Hollywood Palladium. The streaming giant has announced that Chappelle will take over the iconic venue from May 7-9 with shows that blend music and comedy. Tickets will go on sale on April 29.
Andy Cohen will be honored with the Variety Creative Impact in Television Award at the Newport Beach TV Fest on Friday, June 5. The award is to recognize individuals who have made indelible contributions to the television industry. Cohen is an Emmy-winning and five-time Peabody
Netflix’s ‘Big Mistakes” and “Death By Lightning” led the nominations for this year’s Gotham Television Awards, as announced Tuesday by the Gotham Film & Media Institute. The org revealed noms in 12 award categories. “With today’s nominations, our third annual Gotham Television
A seven-time nominee, he started out in the music business with the Strawberry Alarm Clock before teaming with Gregg Landaker on scores of movies.
Range has signed BAFTA-winning filmmaker Babak Anvari and his production company Two & Two Pictures. The London-based, Iranian-born filmmaker’s feature directorial debut “Under the Shadow,” which he also wrote, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The Persian-language
Veteran TV director and Canneseries juror Lesli Linka Glatter opened up about Netflix’s political thriller “Zero Day.” Showing the aftermath of a shocking cyberattack, it stars Robert De Niro. “Before I met Bob, I was really panicked. Here I am, working with a legend – what
Variety, along with Mary Tyler Moore’s husband Dr. S. Robert Levine, will present Quinta Brunson with the third annual Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award at FYC TV Fest on May 6 in Los Angeles. In addition to the awards presentation, the day features genre-focused discussions
Laurie Anderson, Angélique Kidjo, Mavis Staples, De La Soul, Spoon, Julieta Venegas, Black Country, New Road and Horsegirl are among the artists who will grace the stage of the 2026 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor
Lion Forge Entertainment and Webtoon Productions are teaming up to bring the zombie horror-comedy “ShootAround” to the big screen as a YA live-action film. Aiyana K. White, whose credits include “Severance” and “The Night Agent,” will write the feature based on the Webtoon
“Zona Merah: Dead City,” a big-screen expansion of the hit Indonesian zombie series, has brought on Barunson E&A – the Seoul-based company whose credits include Oscar-winning “Parasite” – to sell the film internationally ahead of a debut at the Cannes Film Market. Produced by
Cinespia will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026 with a new slate of classic film screenings, kicking off the summer season at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with titles including “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,””Moulin Rouge!” and “Mulholland Drive.” The long-running outdoor
The FCC has ordered Disney’s eight owned ABC stations to apply for early renewal of their broadcast licenses — by May 28 — citing an investigation into the company’s DEI practices. The agency’s order on the early license review said the action is pursuant to a probe into Disney
The studio and distributor released the South Korean director’s Oscar-winning drama ‘Parasite.’
Director Louis Leterrier's feature about a trapped family was formerly known as '11817.'
The New York event, celebrating its 25th anniversary in June, added the world premiere of a Katy Perry concert film, talks with Este Haim and Sean Penn and anniversary screenings of 'Bound' and 'Taxi Driver.'
“Jurassic Park” star Sam Neill has said he is cancer-free after almost five years of battling stage-three blood cancer. “I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me
Neon has landed North American rights to Bong Joon Ho’s first animated film, “Ally.” The acquisition reunites Bong with the company that backed his Oscar-winning dark comedy “Parasite.” “Ally,” which has been in development since 2019, is expected to debut theatrically in 2027.
Ariana Grande has announced the title and release date of her eighth studio album, “Petal,” executive produced and co-written by Grande and Ilya, out July 31st via Republic Records. In the announcement, Grande describes the album as, “Something that is full of life and growing
Laura Dern has joined the cast of “The White Lotus” Season 4, Variety has confirmed. Dern is joining the series in place of Helena Bonham Carter, who recently exited the series shortly after filming began. Dern is not taking over the exact role Bonham Carter was to play,
Concourse Media has acquired international sales rights to the psychological thriller “Sender” — which recently premiered at SXSW — and will introduce the film to global buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Written and directed by Russell Goldman in his feature debut, “Sender”
