Film & Series news

• Salma Blair was arrested after biting a flight attendant and trying to open a plane door. The rep says he's having a "medical emergency."

  Variety has confirmed that Salma Blair was arrested Sunday after an alleged violent incident on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York. According to TMZ, the "Legally Blonde" actress punched one of the attendants and bit another after she vented. The police force in […]

• What the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Reveals About the Future of Media (Guest Column)

  Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. to form Skydance Corp., which will take the combined company to second place in Nielsen's share of U.S. TV viewers and bring together two of Hollywood's biggest studios, has reignited talk of media mergers. But the bigger story is what the merger highlights about the pressures that are changing the media industry […]

• Persian stories that became the source of inspiration for series From "Small Forest" to "Majid Tales"

  Narges Abiyar has recently announced that he is interested in making a series based on Mahmoud Dolatabadi's important novel "Clayder". This sentence became an excuse to review the list of Iranian serials made from Persian novels.

• You can stream DIRECTV without a satellite dish — try it free for 5 days

  Bring your device and stream DIRECTV from anywhere, with affordable streaming plans or bundles that let you customize your streaming and pay only for the channels you want.

• Director of Animated Series 'Saat Pouya' Hopes for Season Three / How Much Artificial Intelligence Was Used?

  The director of the animated series 'Saat Pouya' spoke about the work's educational approach, stating that lessons are delivered within the story.

• Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, on overseeing global storytelling: "My superpower is hiring really great people and letting them do their work."

  Bela Bajaria oversees 27 local teams around the world producing content in 50 languages for more than 50 countries. The Netflix content chief's secret to success is finding the right people and letting them shine. Bajaria: "My superpower is hiring really great people and letting them do their work."

• First Trailer for The Body Released: Nightmare of Catholic School Girls on Netflix

  The first trailer for The Body has been released; a psychological horror drama series that follows a group of girls at a Catholic school. The story of The Body revolves around a group of teenage girls who at a Catholic

• First Teaser for Season 2 of Common Side Effects Released + Air Date

  Adult Swim has released the first teaser for Season 2 of the animated series Common Side Effects. The psychological comedy thriller centers on a mysterious mushroom with the power to cure nearly any illness. The release of the Season 2 teaser...

• Natalie Morales joins the Flow Space Women's Health Summit in Los Angeles.

  Award-winning journalist and TV personality Natalie Morales joins SHE Media's Flow Space Health Women's Summit this week. Flow Space Women's Health Summit Thursday, Oct. 15, at Penske Media Corp. headquarters. Los Angeles will be held. (Disclosure: PMC owns Variety.) Morales, who has spoken publicly about his family […]

• Banijay Eyes US Scripted Market: 'The US Is a New Opportunity'

  Banijay Entertainment, the production giant now including All3Media, is expanding into the highly competitive US scripted market after gaining major financial strength through its recent merger. Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti, speaking with Jeff Zucker, head of Variety, at MIPCOM, said the company sees an opportunity there.

• BBC Blurs Trans Rights Slogan on T-Shirt in 'Strictly Come Dancing'; Says Removing Overt Slogans Is Standard Practice

  The BBC confirmed it blurred a trans rights slogan on a T-shirt worn by Bethany Antonia, star of House of the Dragon, who is taking part in the 'Strictly Come Dancing' series. In a video the BBC posted on social media last week, Antonia was seen rehearsing for the UK version of the show […]

• Theo Von's Netflix Special 'I'm Doing Good' Set for October Release (Exclusive)

  Theo Von returns to Netflix with another stand-up special. The new hour-long comedy special and podcast, 'I'm Doing Good,' premieres on the streamer October 20. It's Von's third special and his first in five years. The hour, in which Von talks freely while eating about his rural upbringing and acid-fueled adventures, is in every […]

• In Defense of Kelly Clarkson (Sort Of) and the $15,000 Singing Bird Epic

  It doesn't seem Kelly Clarkson will win the battle she accidentally declared against an innovation store in Brooklyn. Yet the mere fact that it exists suggests Clarkson somehow provides a service to the public. For a long time, public figures have been trained in public relations and social media management down to the last detail of their lives. Clarkson's Twitter fingers […]

• Film “Queen Silvia” Sold in Beta, Heads to Royal Screening at Mipcom, and Follows a Woman Who Never Wanted to Marry a Prince: “This Is Not a Cinderella Story”

  The beta film “Queen Silvia” will be screened at Mipcom. Inspired by the real-life romance between Swedish Crown Prince Carl Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath, a German-Brazilian interpreter who became Queen of Sweden, the film stars Alicia von Rittberg and Edwin Andre. Although this is a very European story, people will see that […]

• Josh Hartnett's New Limited Series “Under” Draws Mixed Reactions Over Its Sea Creature Mystery

  Josh Hartnett's limited series started strongly with the mystery of its sea creatures, but viewers say the final episodes took strange twists.

• Veteran Safir Arjan anchor criticized the network for “journalistic negligence” and “choosing to ignore” the Kimberly Guilfoyle scandal. Hours later, the site published a story about how Trump fired him.

  Just a coincidence? Less than four hours after Ken Lacorte, former deputy at Safir Arjan Digital, criticized the network in a social media post for not publishing online coverage of the scandal involving Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump ally and former Safir Arjan employee, the Safir Arjan website on Sunday published an article reporting that “Trump and […]

• Fremantle Secures Worldwide Rights to Singapore's 'Wingman' Dating Format in Mediacorp Deal

  Fremantle has signed an exclusive deal with Singapore broadcaster Mediacorp to license 'Wingman,' a dating show in which singles hand their romantic decisions over to their closest friends. Fremantle is presenting the format to buyers at Mipcom. Fremantle will handle sales, licensing, and production showcases in most international territories on Mediacorp's behalf.

• WWE Star Drew McIntyre Stars in Microdrama Series 'Shadow Agent', Going Beyond Wrestling

  Drew McIntyre plays a dangerous undercover agent in 'Shadow Agent' on ReelShort, joined by Chase Matson and several other WWE stars.

• RTL Touts YouTube Partnership: ‘Cobra 11’ Drives 26% Subscriber Growth and New Revenue Streams

  Leading German broadcaster RTL Deutschland unveiled its recent collaboration with YouTube at MIPCOM Cannes, revealing that its long-running action series ‘Cobra 11’ has thrived on the platform. On stage alongside Pedro Pina, YouTube’s VP for EMEA, and Stefan Schmitter, Managing Director of RTL Deutschland, said the broadcaster has uploaded more than 200 full episodes of the series to YouTube.

• Radio Marks Birth Anniversary of Lady Zainab; Season Three of 'Sarv-e Sepid-e Sorkh' Starts Tonight

  Radio networks, marking the blessed birth anniversary of Lady Zainab Kubra (peace be upon her), are airing special programs highlighting the personality and life of this great woman of Islam, her role in promoting a culture of patience and perseverance, and her position in caregiving and service to humanity.

• 'Varzesh Goft': An Opportunity to Promote Mass Sports

  The editor and expert host of the 'Varzesh Goft' program on Radio Goftogu, noting the importance of Physical Education and Sports Day, said that developing and promoting mass sports is a central theme of the program, which will examine it with the participation of the head of the Federation of Public Sports, focusing on national and patriotic programs in this field.

• 'Iran Jan' Heads to Markazi Province; Event Runs October 17 to October 23

  'Iran Jan' will be held in Markazi Province starting October 17, showcasing the province's tourism and investment figures and capacities.

• Piracy in Crosshairs: Brazil Launches Anti-Piracy Campaign

  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The Brazilian Federation of Audiovisual Industry and Trade (FICA) announced at RioMarket, the Rio Film Festival, the launch of a free anti-piracy awareness campaign on free-to-air television, radio, advertising, and out-of-home (OOH) cinema. Local media, telecom groups, and exhibitors, by providing […]

• 10 Foreign Series We Grew Up With, From Prison Break to Supernatural

  Some shows we watch and then move on from once they end. Others become part of our lives: series we waited impatiently for the next episode of, discussed with friends, and quoted dialogue from...

• Disney+ Taps Amazon Executive Philip Pratt to Oversee Germany, Switzerland and Austria

  Philip Pratt, executive of Amazon MGM Studios, has joined Disney+, where he will oversee original productions for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Currently head of original productions at Amazon, he is set to join the Mouse House as vice president early next year, reporting to Angela Jain, Disney’s EMEA content head. “As we grow our local […]

• Dan Levy Calls Out Shane Gillis's «SNL» Monologue, Says «More Men Need to Stand Up»: «Speechless that something like that could air on live national television»

  Dan Levy, star of «Schitt's Creek», calls out Shane Gillis's «Saturday Night Live» monologue, saying that «more men should stand up against it». Gillis, who hosted «SNL» last weekend, drew fierce backlash over his remarks about women in his opening monologue. I haven't been to the gym in a long time, […]

• Cannes-Winning Producer Quijote Films Launches Domestic Scripted Series Division (Exclusive)

  Chilean film company Quijote, behind Cannes Un Certain Regard winners 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' and 'The Settlers', is entering scripted series with the launch of a new domestic series production arm. Based in Chile and Los Angeles, the company, ahead of Mipcom, which Quijote […]

• Why Does the Chief of Leonine, Germany's Leading Independent Film and TV Company, Back Skydance? 'David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz Are a Very Strong Team'

  Fred Kogel, Managing Director of Leonine Studios, Germany's leading independent distribution and production company, is pleased with the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, now part of Skydance. Variety spoke with him about how this merger is likely to affect the film and TV landscape in German-speaking regions. One of the commitments that […]

• The Story of the Jackson Brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon Reportedly Set for New Documentary at MIPCOM (Exclusive)

  The four founding members of The Jackson 5 other than Michael will reunite for the first time for their documentary. Workerbee (part of Banijay UK) and Paper Route studio have secured exclusive access to Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon Jackson for a 90-minute feature film, also available as a three-part documentary series, a collection of […]

• ITV Studios Sells Dramas and Scripted Formats Amid Sale of Its Media Arm

  Andrea Riseborough Heads to the Moon, “Sound” Heads to Estonia, and Britain’s Beloved Natural History Host Returns to Tell More Fish Stories. ITV Studios kicked off the Mipcom market in Cannes on Monday morning with a breakfast gathering to showcase an extensive lineup of new and returning scripted series