News

Smoke will return with the sixth episode of its debut season on Friday, July 25. Ahead of the premiere, Cbr can unveil a new sneak peek featuring series star Taron Egerton.

In the clip, Dave Gudsen (Egerton) is investigating a past arson crime scene that occurred at Freddy Fasano's (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) foster home, making him confident that Freddy was the offender. Titled "Manhood," the episode was written by Dennis Lehane and directed by Jim McKay. The official logline reads, "Esposito and Calderone urge Harvey to take action. A fully rogue Freddy reached out to an ally."

Check out the video below.

The series first debuted on Apple TV+ on June 27 and has already found success on streaming. Smoke, which is inspired by true events, follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator pursuing the trails of two serial arsonists. Lehane serves as showrunner on the series, which is...

AMC Networks unveiled first-look photos of the new Anne Rice series “Talamasca” at an Atx TV Festival panel on Friday.

The supernatural thriller is set to debut in October on AMC+ and AMC, making it the latest addition to the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. Produced by AMC Studios, “Anne Rice’s Talamasca” centers on a secret society called Talamasca that’s responsible for tracking and containing witches, vampires and other mythical creatures.

During the discussion, co-showrunners and executive producers John Lee Hancock and Mark Lafferty announced two new additions to the cast lineup. Celine Buckens will join as a series regular and Jason Schwartzman is set to guest star. Other cast members include Nicholas Denton, Elizabeth McGovern, William Fichtner and Maisie Richardson-Sellers.

Rolin Jones, showrunner and executive producer of “Interview with the Vampire,” also sat on the panel and shared updates for the show’s third season. He announced that...

Where there’s “Smoke,” there’s fire. Taron Egerton reunites with his “Black Bird” creator Dennis Lehane for another Apple TV+ series, this time about an arson investigator who is haunted by the ashes of past cases.

The nine-episode crime drama “Smoke” is inspired by true events as captured in truth.media’s acclaimed “Firebug” podcast, hosted by Kary Antholis. The official synopsis for the series reads: “‘Smoke’ follows arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Egerton) who begrudgingly teams up with police detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) as their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions.”

Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo, Anna Chlumsky, Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, and Adina Porter also star. “Smoke” is created by Lehane, who also serves as writer and executive producer.

Egerton executive produces alongside Richard Plepler on behalf of Eden Productions and Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment,...

Apple TV+ has unveiled the trailer and key art for its upcoming crime drama Smoke, reuniting the creative team behind Apple TV+’s acclaimed hit limited drama Black Bird, and starring and executive produced by Emmy Award nominee Taron Egerton.

Smoke will make its global debut on Apple TV+ on June 27, 2025, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly, every Friday through August 15, 2025.

Created and written by Dennis Lehane and inspired by true events, Smoke follows an arson investigator who begrudgingly teams up with a police detective as their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions.

Starring Taron Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett as police detective Michelle Calderone, the cast of Smoke also features Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Greg Kinnear,...

Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in ‘Smoke’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

Taron Egerton teams up with bestselling author Dennis Lehane once again on Apple TV+’s upcoming series Smoke. The crime drama, inspired by the “Firebug” podcast hosted by Oscar winner Kary Antholis, just unveiled its first batch of official photos.

“Inspired by true events, Smoke follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. The first stills from the series feature Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett as police detective Michelle Calderone.

The cast also includes Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo.

Taron Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

The series, which reunites Black Bird‘s Egerton and Lehane,...

Apple TV+ has unveiled a first look at the new crime drama ‘Smoke,’ starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane. Inspired by true events, the series follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists. Starring Egerton as arson investigator ‘Dave Gudsen’ and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett as police detective ‘Michelle Calderone,’ the cast also features Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo. Also in news – First Look images revealed for Apple feature ‘Echo Valley’ Lehane, who also serves as writer and executive producer, created the series. Egerton executive produces alongside Richard Plepler on behalf of Eden Productions and Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment as well as Kari Skogland,...

Apple TV+ today unveiled a first look at the new crime drama Smoke, starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton, and created by Dennis Lehane. The nine-episode series premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 27, 2025 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through August 8, 2025.

Inspired by true events, Smoke follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Starring Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett as police detective Michelle Calderone, the cast of Smoke also features Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo.

Hailing from Apple Studios, Smoke is created by Lehane, who also serves as writer and executive producer. Egerton executive produces alongside Richard Plepler on...

Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at the new crime drama Smoke, starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane.

The nine-episode series premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 27, 2025, with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through August 8, 2025.

Inspired by true events, Smoke follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Starring Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Emmy Award nominee Jurnee Smollett as police detective Michelle Calderone, Smoke also features Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo.

Hailing from Apple Studios, Smoke is created by Lehane, who also serves as writer and executive producer. Egerton executive produces alongside Richard Plepler on behalf of Eden Productions,...

We’re getting a first look at Smoke (fka Firebug), Apple’s upcoming crime drama series from creator Dennis Lehane, starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton. The nine-episode series premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 27 with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through August 8. You can see some of the first images above and below.

Inspired by true events, Smoke follows troubled detective Michell Calderon (Emmy-nominated Jurnee Smollett) and enigmatic arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Cast also includes Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Emmy-nominated Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Oscar and Emmy-nominated Greg Kinnear and Emmy winner John Leguizamo. The fictional series is inspired by truth.media’s acclaimed Firebug podcast, which was hosted by the Oscar and Emmy-winning Kary Antholis, who executive produces for Crime Story Media, LLC. Emmy winner...

Ryan Gosling has been a household name for over 20 years, thanks to an acting catalog that spans several different genres and countless box office hits. Most recently, fans will have seen him as Ken in Barbie (2023) and Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy (2024). Like all actors, however, among all the hits and critically acclaimed work, he has his fair share of lesser-known and forgotten films.

One of these films, All Good Things (2010), was a thriller that was based on a disturbing true story. All Good Things stars Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst as the two leads and was directed by Andrew Jarecki. The two men who wrote the film, Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling, were inspired by a real-life crime, and the real story ended up intertwining with its fictional adaptation in surprising ways.

What 'All Good Things' Is About

The movie is set in 1970s New York, where David Marks,...

The Florida man who inspired the 2010 mystery All Good Things has also been the subject of a documentary. The movie follows David Marks (Ryan Gosling), a man from a wealthy real estate family who marries a working-class student named Katie (Kirsten Dunst). While they initially appear to be perfect for one another, cracks in the foundation of their relationship appear and Katie eventually goes missing.

Written by Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling, the events of the movie take inspiration from a real-life missing persons case and the husband who became a suspect. The events of the movie chronicle their burgeoning relationship in the 1970s, spanning Katies disappearance in the 1980s and the cold case being reopened in 2000. While there are plenty of liberties taken with the story since not all details were known at the time (and still are not), the movie has been seen as a mostly true account.

The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi, from truth.media, Clockwork Films, and Usg Audio, a division of Universal Studio Group (winners of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award for You Didn’t See Nothin).

“Anthony Raimondi’s many wild stories weave together into a Who’s Who of organized crime. He’s the Forrest Gump of the mafia touching so many pivotal historical moments and notorious and often dangerous people. But what surprised me the most was just who exactly Anthony ended up being. Someone you would never expect...” — Marc Smerling, Host of The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi

In 1978, Pope John Paul I was found dead in bed 33 days after he was elected. The Vatican announced to the world that the Pope suffered a fatal heart attack, but many people believe The Pope was murdered by poison because he was planning to investigate financial corruption in the Vatican. Suspicion grew after the...

Apple TV+ is rounding out the cast of the upcoming drama series “Firebug” with four new additions.

Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, Hannah Emily Anderson, and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine have all joined the series. They will appear opposite previously announced series lead Taron Egerton as well as cast members Jurnee Smollett and John Leguizamo. The role marks a reunion for Kinnear and Egerton, who both appeared in the Apple series “Black Bird.”

Spall is repped by UTA and B-Side Management. Kinnear is repped by CAA and Goodman Genow. Mwine is repped by TalentWorks, Gallant Management, Sloane Offer, and Viewpoint. Anderson is repped by Gersh, Gga, and Atlas Artists.

“Firebug” was originally greenlit in December 2022. The nine-episode series is loosely inspired by true events presented in Truth Media’s “Firebug” podcast, which was hosted by Kary Antholis. The official description states the series “will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic...

Though he is technically director and showrunner of “The Jinx,” there’s no denying that Andrew Jarecki is now also one of its characters.

While filming Season 1 of the smash hit HBO docuseries, Jarecki and collaborators Zac-Stuart Pointier and Marc Smerling stepped out from behind the camera when it became clear that they stumbled upon critical evidence incriminating documentary subject Robert Durst. They turned that evidence into law enforcement and elicited Durst’s hot mic showstopper: “Killed them all, of course.” Durst was indicted just days before the finale, creating an unprecedented cultural juggernaut.

As a result, “The Jinx – Part Two” becomes an extraordinary specimen, a piece of TV in which the show and its creators have become part of the unbelievable, sprawling narrative that starts and ends with Durst. In the first episode — titled “Chapter 7,” suggesting that “The Jinx” is not so much two seasons as twelve installments — Jarecki...

The push-pull of the true-crime genre is that, no matter how much it intends to give a voice to the victims, it more often gives notoriety to the accused.

This is certainly the case if the accused is someone like Robert Durst, the bumbling, garrulous, eccentric, and wealthy septuagenarian at the center of Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier’s Emmy-winning 2015 docuseries, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. That program famously included Durst seemingly confessing to three murders — the 1982 disappearance and assumed death of his first wife, Kathie Durst, the 2000 shooting of his friend Susan Berman, and the 2001 killing and dismembering of his neighbor Morris Black — because a hot mic caught him muttering to himself “killed them all, of course.”...

The second season (or “Part”) of The Jinx is arriving on HBO nine years after the conclusion of the first and, wholly coincidentally, right on the eve of the Jewish observance of Passover.

This timing has me thinking of “Dayenu,” the festive song in which we recite the various miracles of the Exodus, one at a time and each followed by the declaration of “Dayenu,” meaning “It would have been enough.” So… Leading us out of Egypt (“Dayenu!”), parting the Red Sea (“Dayenu!”), giving us the Torah (“Dayenu!”) and so on.

When it comes to the first six episodes of The Jinx, it goes something like: If it had just been an exceptionally well-produced depiction of a twisty, unresolved series of murders tied to real estate mogul Robert Durst? Dayenu! (Or it would have been enough for a generally enthusiastic review.)

If it had just been an exceptionally well-produced documentary...

The first episode of The Jinx Part Two is titled “Why Are You Still Here?” Like every installment of the true crime docuseries, it’s a quote from the episode itself; in this case, it’s prosecutor John Lewin asking accused murderer Robert Durst why he hadn’t already fled the country by the time the FBI caught and arrested him for the murder of his friend Susan Berman.

But the line unfortunately applies to The Jinx itself. In 2015, it was an absolute sensation, thanks to an improbable coup: Director...

Nearly ten year after the Emmy Award-winning first season, “The Jinx” is remarkably back on HBO. Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier’s engrossing docuseries about the string of murders connected to Robert Durst built to a now-infamous climax, and will return with more story to tell April 21.

Before that, it’s worth revisiting the 2015 series and decades of headlines it interrogates. “The Jinx” gripped its audience with mounting evidence against Durst and a scintillating narrative structure, but also quickly came under fire for manipulating the timeline and even Durst’s hot mic recordings for dramatic effect. In 2015, IndieWire’s Matt Brennan pointed out that “The Jinx” set an impossible standard for documentary drama — one that the series itself had arguably not cleared in the first place. Jessica Kiang wrote that “This is not Jarecki’s gotcha so much as it is a self-initiated, cloudily motivated performance piece of Durst’s,...

“Killed them all, of course.”

Those five words were spoken by Robert Durst when the New York real estate heir, who was still mic’d, walked to the bathroom after completing his interviews for the HBO true-crime docuseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.

Durst had been suspected of killing his close friend Susan Berman, who was shot dead in December 2000 shortly after she told Durst that the Los Angeles police wanted to talk to her about Durst’s first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, who disappeared in 1982. He was acquitted for the 2001 murder of neighbor Morris Black, whom Durst admitted to dismembering, claiming he killed Black in self-defense.

Durst’s hot mic confession came in the jaw-dropping Jinx finale that aired March 15, 2015, and captured the nation.

But years before that, it stunned director Andrew Jarecki and executive producer Zac Stuart-Pontier when they and the Jinx team came...

Back in 2015, HBO aired Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier’s six episode true crime docu-series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which focused on real estate heir Robert Durst and investigated “the unsolved 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife, Kathie McCormack, the 2000 execution-style killing of his longtime friend Susan Berman, and the 2001 death and dismemberment of his neighbor Morris Black”, in Galveston, Texas.” During the making of that docu-series, Durst was caught on tape saying “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” While he had been acquitted of murdering Black in 2003, Durst was arrested the day before the series finale aired and charged with first degree murder in the death of Berman. While the case went to trial, the documentarians kept digging into the Durst story, gathering material for the follow-up series The Jinx: Part Two. The new trailer for the second part has just dropped.

John Leguizamo has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “Firebug,” Variety has learned. In addition, Kari Skogland has boarded the series as director and executive producer.

Leguizamo joins previously announced cast members Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in the series. It was originally greenlit in December 2022.

The series is loosely based on true events and also draws from events documented in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast. The official logline states that the show “will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.”

Leguizamo with play Esposito, described as “a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.”

Leguizamo is a highly-versatile performer with a career spanning four decades. He is known for his roles in films like “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), “Romeo + Juliet,...

Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country”) has joined the cast of Apple TV+’s “Firebug,” in which she’ll star opposite Taron Egerton. Smollett will play Michelle, a “rising star detective.”

“Firebug,” loosely based on true events and inspired by a podcast of the same name, stars Egerton as an “enigmatic arson investigator.” The two characters pursue two serial arsonists. Egerton is also an exec producer on the Apple original series (from Apple Studios), from creator Dennis Lehane.

Lehane also developed and executive produces “Firebug,” which reps a reunion of the team behind Apple TV+’s “Black Bird.” Other exec producers include Richard Plepler (via Eden Productions), Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas (through Imperative Entertainment), and Kary Antholis.

Apple points out that the series, set in the contemporary Pacific Northwest, is fictional — although it does take some of the events included in in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast, which was hosted by Antholis,...

Apple TV+ has added Jurnee Smollett to its forthcoming drama series Firebug.

The Emmy-nominated Lovecraft Country star joins Taron Egerton in the series from writer and executive producer Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Apple’s Black Bird). The show is loosely based on real-life events chronicled in Truth.Media’s Firebug podcast hosted by Kary Antholis (who is an executive producer of the series).

Firebug, produced in house by Apple Studios, will follow a troubled detective (Smollett) and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) who are pursuing two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest. Smollett’s charcter, named Michelle, is also a rising star in her department.

The series marks a reunion for much of the core team behind the Emmy-winning Black Bird, including Lehane, Egerton, Antholis and executive producers Richard Plepler of Eden Productions and Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas of Imperative Entertainment. Marc Smerling will also exec produce for Truth Podcasting Corp.

Jurnee Smollett (Underground, Lovecraft Country) has been cast opposite Taron Egerton (Rocketman, Black Bird) in Firebug, an Apple TV+ drama written by Dennis Lehane (Black Bird).

“Loosely inspired by true events” (namely, notorious California arsonist John Leonard Orr), Firebug follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

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Marvel’s “Echo” Gets First Trailer

Marvel has debuted its first trailer for its upcoming limited series “Echo,” its “Hawkeye” spinoff series and the first Marvel Studios production to debut simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu.

Watch the first trailer for “Echo” below:

Alaqua Cox reprises her role as Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo from “Hawkeye,” who will return to her hometown to “come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community.” “Echo” will be the first superhero series ever to center on a Deaf and a Native American character.

Vincent D’Onofrio, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning, Charlie Cox, Devery Jacobs, and Zahn McClarnon will also star.

“Echo” will premiere on both Disney+ and Hulu on Wednesday, Jan. 10 with all episodes available at once.

30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and...

Back in 2015, HBO aired Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier’s six episode true crime docu-series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which focused on real estate heir Robert Durst and investigated “the unsolved 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife, Kathie McCormack, the 2000 execution-style killing of his longtime friend Susan Berman, and the 2001 death and dismemberment of his neighbor Morris Black”, in Galveston, Texas.”. During the making of that docu-series, Durst was caught on tape saying “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” While he had been acquitted of murdering Black in 2003, Durst was arrested the day before the series finale aired and charged with first degree murder in the death of Berman. While the case went to trial, the documentarians kept digging into the Durst story, gathering material for the follow-up series The Jinx: Part Two. Now Deadline reports that The Jinx:...

HBO is to further explore the crimes of Robert Durst.

The network is launching a second installment of The Jinx, its true-crime doc that caught Durst on tape confessing to murder.

The miniseries first launched in 2015 and is considered one of the most groundbreaking true-crime docs. It came from Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier.

The second installment, which covers the next eight years of investigations against Durst, will launch in 2024.

Durst famously was captured on tape saying “Killed them all, of course”. He was soon arrested.

The filmmakers continued their investigation for the next eight years, uncovering hidden material, Durst’s prison calls, and interviews with people who had never before come forward.

The Jinx – Part Two is directed by Jarecki, who exec produces alongside Zac Stuart-Pontier and Kyle Martin as well as HBO’s Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez.

Paramount+ crime-thriller Bargain, Prime Video’s absurdist comedy I’m a Virgo and Greek infertility dramedy Babython were among the awards series winners at last week’s Seriencamp in Germany.

Bargain took home the festival’s Critics Choice Award, while Babython was named best in show at the Co-Production Pitch. Prime Video dark coming-of-age comedy I’m a Virgo won the Official Competition Award.

Korean drama Bargain, for Paramount+ and Tving, stars Jun Jong-seo (Money Heist: Korea) and Jin Seon-kyu (Extreme Job) and is a six-part adaptation of director Lee Chung-hyun’s short film of the same name released in 2015. Cj Enm is attached through its partnership with Paramount. The series won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes Series earlier in the year.

Prime Video’s I’m a Virgo, from rapper Boots Riley and starring Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) and about a shielded 13-foot-tall Black man who lives in Oakland,...

Hello Insiders, Jesse Whittock here to take you through a scorching week in international TV and film. Don’t forget to subscribe. Let’s go.

Strike Goes Global

“What happens in America happens here”: More than 20 countries came together for a global day of solidarity Wednesday, as protestors showed support for striking scribes in the U.S. In the UK, Germany, France, Korea and many other places, writers around the world showed why shepherding the WGA through its labor dispute matters. We were on the ground in the UK and Germany, and in the former a succession (see what we did there) of senior scribes along with around 200 others lined up to show support, including Jesse Armstrong, Russell T. Davies, Jack Thorne, Charlie Brooker and, from across the pond, The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace. “What happens in America happens here,” declared Doctor Who showrunner Davies, who revealed to Deadline...

“Pitching in Hollywood is like banging your head against a brick wall right now.”

That was the warning to German delegates here at Cologne’s Seriencamp event from the The Jinx, Capturing the Friedmans and Catfish producer Marc Smerling this morning.

During a masterclass on the golden rules of storytelling, Smerling addressed how streamer over-spend and the writers strike had led to greenlights grinding to a halt, even in unscripted — at least for now. “The lights have gone off in Hollywood for a few minutes,” he said, referring WGA and SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the AMPTP.

Later in the interview, Smerling offered an analysis of the current market. “I don’t think the difficulty non-fiction is feeling right now is due to the writers strike, but is due to a tremendous spend over a long period of time that didn’t produce the return Hollywood thought it would,” he said.

Exclusive: Germany’s top scripted conference Seriencamp is headed for a new home in Cologne this summer, and its line-up is coming together.

The three-day event will take place between June 14-16 at the Cinenova in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld district, marking a return to a fully physical presence after a hiatus in 2022 and a hybrid event in 2021. Deadline has signed on as the event’s official media partner and will be on the ground hosting and covering panels and keynotes.

Among the those featuring at the event’s Story Exchange project market will be Paramount+, Prime Video and Amazon Studios, and Apple TV+. German networks Zdf, Sky Deutschland, Rtl, Arte and ServusTV will also attend the market, in which decision makers from major international companies speak with producers, writers and creators. The focus is on collaboration and co-production.

Zdf, Paramount+, Prime Video, Sky, ZDFneo and Ard are also expected to...

Exclusive: UTA has signed its latest podcast client – the team behind The Best One Yet.

The agency will work with founders and co-hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell to create new opportunities in a range of areas for the finance podcast.

Crivici-Kramer and Martell, who previously worked on Wall Street, created the finance and business newsletter MarketSnacks in 2012, which then expanded into a podcast. Both were acquired by Robinhood in 2018 and rebranded as Robinhood Snacks. In 2022, Crivici-Kramer and Martell spun off the podcast from Robinhood, rebranding to The Best One Yet (Tboy), and are now a fully independent venture.

Since spinning off from Robinhood, which remains the The Best One Yet’s exclusive sponsor until April 2023, the duo has continued to release daily episodes in audio and video. Their aim is to mix business news with pop culture and current events.

UTA reps some of the biggest names in podcasting including Wondery,...

Apple Studios has made an exclusive deal with Dennis Lehane, the mind behind films like “Mystic River” and “Shutter Island.”

The screenwriter and his production company Hans Bubby have agreed to the terms with Apple TV+ following the success of “Black Bird” starring Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, who won a Golden Globe for his role in the prison thriller show, which Lehane helped create. Variety first reported the news.

Lehane’s deal involves exclusive development and production of multiple original series for Apple TV+. The streamer will also get a first-look for digital features.

Also Read:

‘Black Bird’ Star Paul Walter Hauser Explains How He Pieced Together His Chilling Performance as a Serial Killer

“Small Mercies: A Novel” by Lehane is already under development at AppleTV+ as a drama series produced by the author and executive produced by Bradley Thomas, Kary Antholis and Richard Plepler. The Boston-set book,...

Exclusive: The 1993 World Trade Center bombing is to be the subject of Apple’s latest original podcast series.

The tech giant is launching Operation: Tradebom from Marc Smerling, producer of Capturing The Friedmans and The Jinx.

The series will follow the events leading up to and following the then-largest improvised explosive device detonated on American soil – the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It will also detail a history of modern terrorism, starting in Cairo in 1981 and ending in the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

The 1993 World Trade Center bombing killed six people and injured thousands, leaving behind a 100-foot crater five stories deep. Investigators from New York City’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, a ragtag team of FBI agents and NYPD detectives, found themselves conducting a new type of international investigation called Operation Tradebom. The podcast dissects the investigation, looking at how political and religious tensions abroad found their way to the U.

Film Independent has revealed the television nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which this year have gone gender-neutral, just like its film colleagues. As revealed online Tuesday morning by Asia Kate Dillon (“Billions“), the annoncement included a winner: Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” won for best new ensemble cast, including Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Inji Jeong, Minha Kim, Kaho Minami, Lee Minho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Anna Sawai, Jimmi Simpson and Yuh-jung Youn.

Overall, leading the nominees were ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s “The Bear,” Apple TV+’s “Severance” and HBO Max’s “Severance,” all tied with three nods each.

“As the television landscape continues to evolve, and independent artists expand the idea of how stories can be told, we’re proud to be changing with them,” said Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent. “With our new categories and gender-neutral acting awards, we hope to better reflect the diversity of...

Film Independent announced the TV nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Tuesday morning, with four shows in particular leading the pack. ABC’s beloved comedy “Abbott Elementary,” FX’s critical darling “The Bear,” the HBO Max limited series “Station Eleven” and the acclaimed Apple TV+ drama “Severance” scored the most nominations of any show with three each.

The Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” won the Best Ensemble award.

New this year, as with the film nominees, is a switch to gender neutral acting awards with the Best Actor and Best Actress categories replaced by a 10-nominee Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series award. In addition to this change, a Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series award has been added to honor performances outside of the leading roles.

The 38th Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on March 4, 2023, in Santa Monica. Check out the film nominees here.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are unveiling their 2023 nominees for television Tuesday morning. The reveal marks a previously announced expansion of the TV categories, as well as a move to gender-neutral acting races this year in both television and film, the latter of which were revealed last month during the Spirits’ film nominations.

The organization has combined both actor and actress in TV’s Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series, and in the new category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.

Related Story Spirit Award Noms 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Leads & Will Vie For Best Picture With ‘Bones And All’, ‘Our Father, The Devil’, ‘Tár’ & ‘Women Talking’ Related Story Spirit Awards Set 2023 Date, Go Gender-Neutral And Increase Budget Cap Related Story Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'The Lost Daughter' Takes Home Best Feature As Netflix Reigns With Six Wins

Billions star Asia Kate Dillon...

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Film Independent has revealed the TV nominees for the 2023 Spirit Awards.

Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Severance and Station Eleven landed three nominations each, the most of any series.

Notable nominees include Emmy winners Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph of Abbott Elementary, who earned Emmys in September for best writing for a comedy series and supporting actress, respectively, for the ABC sitcom. Emmy nominee Janelle James was also honored with a supporting performance nomination. Other nominees from September’s Emmys include Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey, Station Eleven‘s Himesh Patel and Severance‘s Adam Scott.

While Till star Danielle Deadwyler was not recognized in the film categories for her acclaimed performance in the United Artists drama, she did earn a supporting performance nod for her role in Station Eleven.

While lead actor Jeremy Allen White was not nominated for his performance on The Bear,...

Taron Egerton is once again teaming up with Apple to star in the drama series ‘Firebug’, created by Dennis Lehane.

The series will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists. Though fictionalized, the series is inspired by some of the true events presented in Truth Media’s “Firebug” podcast, which was hosted by Kary Antholis.

Written and executive produced by Lehane. Other executive producers include Egerton and Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, which is under a multi-year deal at Apple TV+; Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment; Antholis for Crime Story Media; and Marc Smerling for Truth Podcasting Corp.

Also in news – Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard & more join ‘Book of Clarence’ cast

Egerton, Lehane, Plepler, Antholis and Thomas at Apple TV+, previously worked together on ‘Black Bird,’ the limited series that debuted on the streamer in July.

Taron Egerton in a scene from ‘Black Bird’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

Screen Actors Guild Awards nominee Taron Egerton (Rocketman) is teaming up with bestselling author Dennis Lehane once again on a series set up at Apple TV+. Actor/executive producer Egerton, series creator/writer/executive producer Lehane, and executive producers Richard Plepler, Kary Antholis, Bradley Thomas, and Dan Friedkin from Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed Black Bird are reuniting for another drama inspired by true events.

Per Apple TV+: “Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (played by Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.”

Firebug is inspired by truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast about arsonist John Leonard Orr hosted by Oscar and Emmy-winning Kary Antholis (One Survivor Remembers). Truth Podcasting Corp’s Marc Smerling’s involved as an executive producer.

John Orr was employed by the Glendale Fire Department in Southern...

After the success of Black Bird, Apple TV+ is staying in business with the team behind the hit show.

Apple TV+ today announced that creator Dennis Lehane, star and executive producer Taron Egerton, and executive producers Richard Plepler, Kary Antholis, Bradley Thomas, and Dan Friedkin will re-team for Firebug, a new Apple Original drama series hailing from Apple Studios.

Written by Lehane and inspired by true events, "Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (played by Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists," the logline reports.

Firebug will be produced by Apple Studios and is developed, written and executive produced by Lehane.

In addition to starring, Egerton will serve as executive producer alongside Richard Plepler through Eden Productions. Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin will produce through Imperative Entertainment.

The series is inspired by some of the events presented in truth media's acclaimed "Firebug" podcast,...

Apple TV+ has given a series order to “Firebug,” a drama series starring Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane.

“Firebug” will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists. Though fictionalized, the series is inspired by some of the true events presented in Truth Media’s “Firebug” podcast, which was hosted by Kary Antholis.

The project hails from Apple Studios and is developed, written and executive produced by Lehane. Other executive producers include Egerton and Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, which is under a multi-year deal at Apple TV+; Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment; Antholis for Crime Story Media; and Marc Smerling for Truth Podcasting Corp.

This marks another collaboration between Egerton, Lehane, Plepler, Antholis and Thomas at Apple TV+, who last worked together on “Black Bird,” the limited series that debuted on the streamer in July.

Exclusive: Taron Egerton and the creators behind Apple TV+’s lauded drama Black Bird are re-teaming on crime series Firebug, inspired by events surrounding notorious California arsonist John Leonard Orr.

Black Bird creator Dennis Lehane, star and executive producer Taron Egerton, and executive producers Richard Plepler, Kary Antholis, Bradley Thomas and Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin will re-team on the Apple Original series.

Written by Lehane and inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (played by Rocketman star Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Former American firefighter Orr was an arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Southern California. Initially hired to understand and track down cases of arson, he became a convicted serial arsonist himself. He was found to be the cause of a spate of high-profile fires across California in the 80s and 90s that...

Luminaries, legends, and thought leaders alike came together last Thursday (August 25th) for Rolling Stone and Variety’s annual Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime Documentary Films. The one-day, live-streamed event featured keynotes and panel conversations that centered on the pursuit of truth.

Kicking off the summit, veteran, Emmy-winning 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl reflected on moments that marked her storied career, one in which she’s interviewed everyone from the likes of Margaret Thatcher to Donald Trump. Her keynote conversation was followed by a panel of more trendsetters behind the mic,...

Variety and Rolling Stone announced today the final lineup for their Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime Documentary Films, on August 25 in New York.

The summit coincides with the Truth Seekers journal, a collaboration between Variety and Rolling Stone. The special issue features a deep dive from Variety’s Addie Morfoot into the heated debate in the nonfiction community on the question of who — and who shouldn’t — have the right to tell the stories that involve historically marginalized communities. The story also delves into the rise of celebrity-financed biographical...

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Apple Podcasts on Thursday added charts for the top 100 most-subscribed shows and channels available on the platform.

Though Apple is not releasing specific subscriber numbers for each show or channel, Morbid — the true crime show hosted by Alaina Urquhart and Ashleigh Kelley — is the top subscription show while Wondery+ is the top subscription channel in the U.S. and Canada, according to Apple, which bases these rankings on a mix of subscription numbers and listener engagement.

For top subscriber shows, Morbid is followed by SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes; Something Was Wrong, hosted by Tiffany Reese; Fed Up, narrated by Casey Wilson; and Crooked City: Youngstown, Oh, created by Marc Smerling.

In the U.S., Wondery+ is followed by the channels Sword and Scale +Plus Light, Sony’s The Binge, Luminary and Pushkin Industries’ Pushkin+.

Apple first launched...

Exclusive: Marc Smerling, who produced and shot HBO’s classic true crime series The Jinx, is to explore a the complicated history of a Rust Belt town where car bombs and mob murders in a new podcast series.

Smerling and his Truth.Media company have teamed up with Sony Music Entertainment for Crooked City: Youngstown, Oh.

The series is the follow up to Smerling’s Crimetown, which has previously covered stories in Providence and Detroit .

It comes after Smerling’s latest docuseries, Mind Over Murder, which is a partnership with director Nanfu Wang and Vox Media, aired on HBO. Subscribers to Sony’s The Binge can listen to all 15 episodes on July 25.

It will investigate a time when thousands of steel workers crossed the Mahoning River every day to toil in the hot and dirty steel mills of Youngstown, Ohio, then blew off steam Friday nights in mob-run gambling halls,...

Acclaimed filmmaker Nanfu Wang’s new docuseries, “Mind Over Murder,” will premiere June 20 at 10 p.m. Pt on HBO Max.

Produced by Vox Media Studios, the six-part show will explore the complicated nature of memory, as told through the 1985 Nebraska murder case featuring the “Beatrice Six.”

Wang — whose “Hooligan Sparrow” was shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature at the 2017 Oscars — will use the case to shed light on the fallibility of police confessions and how recovered memories can inadvertently induce false ones, which in tandem produce wrongful convictions. The docuseries will feature previously unavailable archival footage, including the original interrogation videos, as well as interviews with the family members of the victim and the Beatrice Six and former government officials involved in the case.

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“Mind Over Murder” unravels the complex story of six people who were...

As jaw-dropping as Robert Durst’s “killed them all” confession at the end of HBO docuseries The Jinx was six years ago, the filmmaker behind the award-winning show says he wasn’t shocked when Durst was convicted Friday for the murder of his best friend Susan Berman.

“I can’t say I was surprised because if you watch the trial it was extraordinary,” Jarecki said in an interview on Good Morning America Monday. “Bob admits in the trial that he lied five times and perjured himself in this trial. He also admits that he lied in his prior trial. … You can’t be amazed by it, but at the same time it’s very gratifying because you also know this is a man who’s evaded justice for so long that all you can do is hope for the families of the victims that there are not going to be surprises.

Robert Durst, billionaire real estate heir and subject of HBO’s six-part documentary series “The Jinx,” is standing trial for the 2000 murder of friend Susan Berman, the woman who may have known something about the mysterious disappearance of Durst’s estranged wife more than 33 years ago.

Here is a timeline of the twists and turns that got us from there to here:

1973

Durst marries Kathie McCormack, a dental hygienist.

1980

Durst and McCormack separate and live in separate New York apartments. Durst begins dating another woman, Mia Farrow‘s sister, Prudence.

January 31, 1982

Kathie McCormack goes missing after a party in Connecticut thrown in her honor by friend Gilberte Najamy. McCormack had received a call from her estranged husband during which the two had a heated argument, and Durst beckoned McCormack to their shared rural New York cottage.

Najamy told People Magazine that McCormack gave an ominous warning about her husband.

“She said,...