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Unless you’ve been living on a secluded island or Amish country, adaptations of novels to screen is not a new concept to you.

It’s become one of the most common formulas for creating movies and TV shows.

From Netflix to Amazon, everyone wants a piece of the action.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

While not every project is a knockout, audiences have seen some successful franchises flourish from this method.

Just off the top of my head are the Harry Potter movies, Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey, and even the Bridget Jones movies.

And it’s not just the big screen. TV saw the opportunity and jumped on board with shows like The Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones, Percy Jackson, and The Witcher.

The Ark Season 2 Episode 7 Exclusive Sneak Peek: What Did You Do?!by Joshua Pleming Sunny Season 1 Episode 9 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Hunger And Loneliness Are...

Exclusive: Apple TV+ has opted not to renew for a second season Amber Brown, its single-camera kids/family comedy series based on the bestselling books by Paula Danziger, which is headlined by Sarah Drew and child actor Carsyn Rose. The news comes more than eight months after the series’ 10-episode first season was released on July 29. I hear the options on the cast have lapsed.

The Boat Rocker-produced Amber Brown, which also stars Darin Brooks and newcomer Liliana Inouye, was written and directed by Bonnie Hunt, who also served as executive producer and showrunner.

The series stars Rose as the title character, an everykid who is going through what children of divorced partners experience, and making sense of her new family dynamic through her sketches and video diary. Drew plays Amber’s mother; Brooks plays Sarah’s boyfriend, Max; Inouye plays Amber’s friend Brandi Colwin.

Bob Higgins and Jon Rutherford...

Exclusive: The Dwayne Johnson reteam with Jumanji franchise filmmaker Jake Kasdan, previously titled Red One at Prime Video, has started production, and Oscar winner J.K. Simmons and Emmy nominee Bonnie Hunt have boarded respectively as Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The four-quadrant holiday family film, which has plans to be an extensive franchise film with merchandising throughout the Amazon universe, boasts a cast that includes Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, and Wesley Kimmel. The screenplay by Fast & Furious scribe and producer Chris Morgan is based off an original story by Seven Bucks President of Production Hiram Garcia. Amazon Studios snapped up the project in a competitive bidding war. The project will stream in more than 240 countries and territories.

Producers are Hiram Garcia, Johnson, and Dany Garcia via Seven Bucks Productions; Kasdan and Melvin Mar via The Detective Agency; Morgan via Chris Morgan Productions.

Growing up is hard. And if you’re a young girl looking for relatable content about friends, shifting family dynamics and staying true to yourself in this digital world, you’d be hard pressed to find many solid viewing options. That’s where Apple TV+’s new original “Amber Brown” fills a void.

The 10-part show is an adaptation of Paula Danziger’s popular children’s book series of the same name. When viewers meet Amber Brown (played by Carsyn Rose) she is starting the sixth grade in the middle of three big crises: her parents are getting divorced, her mom is with a new man and her best friend Justin (Joshua Gallup) is moving away.

Creator, writer and director Bonnie Hunt ages Amber from nine to 11 in this iteration in order to appeal to those younger viewers who historically “watch up.” The result is a series about a girl...

IFC has announced the first round of casting for the “53rd season” (not really 53rd season) of “Documentary Now!,” headlined by Cate Blanchett, Jamie Demetriou, Trystan Gravelle, Jonathan Pryce, John Rhys-Davies and Harriet Walter. Tom Jones is also joining the original comedy series.

The newly announced cast will be a part of the three previously announced episodes for the upcoming season, all of which are written by co-creator Seth Meyers.

Blanchett and Walter will star in “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport,” a portrait of a hair salon owner and her staff in the small coastal village of Bagglyport as they prepare their yearly stylebook. Co-creator Fred Armisen will star as well in the homage to fashion documentaries “3 Salons at the Seaside” and “The September Issue.”

The episode “How They Threw Rocks” will feature Welsh actors Gravelle, Pryce and Rhys-Davies and Welsh singer Jones. In the vein of “When We Were Kings” and other explorations of sport,...

"Happy times won't last forever, but neither will sad times." Apple TV+ has revealed an official trailer for a new series titled Amber Brown, based on the beloved children's books of the same name. This delightful streaming series seems to be a fresh new take on child-focused TV offerings. "Growing up is a work of art." Based on the children's book series by Paula Danziger, Amber Brown follows a young girl finding her voice through music and art in the wake of her parents’ divorce and her best friend moving away. Directed and written by Bonnie Hunt, the 10-episode, live-action series stars Carsyn Rose as Amber, with Sarah Drew and an ensemble cast including Darin Brooks as Max, Ashley Williams as Pam, Michael Yo as Philipm and newcomer Liliana Inouye as Brandi Colwin. This looks super sweet and charming and a good series for kids to watch examples of caring...

Apple TV+ will launch a slate of all-new original kids and family series, specials and shorts, including Peanuts special “Lucy’s School,” the streamer announced Friday.

In “Lucy’s School,” Lucy Van Pelt starts her own school. Additionally, Apple TV+ is adding new episodes of “The Snoopy Show,” and several classic Peanuts titles from Mendelson/Melendez Productions, including “You’re The Greatest, Charlie Brown,” “You’re In Love, Charlie Brown” and “He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown,” which all debut on August 5.

The summer lineup kicks off on July 8 with animated series “Duck & Goose,” based on the best-selling books by Tad Hills.

New live-action shows include “Best Foot Forward,” based on the real-life story of Paralympic athlete and “Just Don’t Fall” author Josh Sundquist, which launches July 22. “Amber Brown,” based on the book series by Paula Danziger and from writer and director Bonnie Hunt, drops July 29. August 19 brings “Surfside Girls” from May Chan,...

Exclusive: Grey’s Anatomy alumna Sarah Drew, who starred in two of Lifetime’s highest-rated holiday movies, is returning to the A&e Networks cable channel with a two-picture deal. Under the pact, Drew will star in, write and executive produce holiday films for the network’s annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime movie slate. One of the films currently in development, Reindeer Games, is an original script written by Drew. Additionally, Drew will star in the newly greenlight original movie, Stolen Hearts: The Lizbeth Meredith Story (working title).

Reindeer Games follows a fading Hollywood star who returns to his small tight knit hometown post breakup. He’s begrudgingly roped into the town’s holiday fundraising tradition, “The Reindeer Games,” but when he surprisingly falls for (and is competing against) a former classmate he ignored in high school who’s determined to beat him at all costs, he must win the...

The Good Place vet William Jackson Harper has a very complicated Love Life in the first full trailer for Season 2 of the HBO Max romantic comedy anthology.

The second installment follows Marcus Watkins (Harper) after his marriage unexpectedly implodes. In the aftermath, “Marcus is forced to rebuild his life brick by brick, hoping to find a love that will last, once and for all,” per the official synopsis. The cast also includes Jessica Williams (The Daily Show), Punkie Johnson (Saturday Night Live) and Chris “Comedian Cp” Powell (Detroiters), and recurring guest stars Arian Moayed (Succession), Leslie Bibb (Jupiter’s Legacy) and...

Based on the bestselling children’s book series by Paula Danziger, family series Amber Brown is heading to Apple TV+, starring Grey’s Anatomy alum Sarah Drew and Carsyn Rose (The Rookie) as the titular Amber. Bonnie Hunt will write, direct, and act as showrunner. “Amber Brown is an unfiltered look at a girl finding her own voice through art and music in the wake of her parents’ divorce,” reads the series description. Described as “an everykid who is going through what many children experience,” Amber will have to work out her family’s new dynamic using her sketches and video diary as outlets for expression. Drew will star as Amber’s mother, Sarah, alongside Darin Brooks (Blue Mountain State) as Sarah’s new boyfriend, Max, and newcomer Liliana Inouye as Amber’s friend, Brandi Colwin. First published in 1993, the award-winning book series was created by author Paula Danziger and...

Grey’s Anatomy alumna Sarah Drew and child actor Carsyn Rose (The Rookie) headline Amber Brown, an Apple TV+ single-camera comedy series based on the bestselling books by Paula Danziger. The series, which co-stars Darin Brooks (Blue Mountain State) and newcomer Liliana Inouye, is written and directed by Bonnie Hunt (Life with Bonnie), who also serves as executive producer and showrunner. Filming on the series, produced by Boat Rocker, is underway in Salt Lake City.

Amber Brown is described as an unfiltered look at a girl finding her own voice through art and music in the wake of her parents’ divorce. Rose plays Amber Brown, an everykid who is going through what many children experience, and making sense of her new family dynamic through her sketches and video diary. Drew plays Amber’s mother Sarah, a good, caring mom with strict rules. Brooks plays Sarah’s boyfriend, Max; Inouye plays Amber’s friend Brandi Colwin.

Apple has ordered a series adaptation of the “Amber Brown” books by Paula Danziger, Variety has learned.

Bonnie Hunt is set to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner on the adaptation. Carsyn Rose will star in the title role, with Sarah Drew, Darin Brooks, and Liliana Inouye (“The Slows”) also attached.

“Amber Brown” is an unfiltered look at a girl finding her own voice through art and music in the wake of her parents’ divorce. Amber Brown (Rose) is an everykid who is going through what many children experience, and making sense of her new family dynamic through her sketches and video diary. Drew stars as Amber’s mother, Sarah Brown. Brooks will play Max and Inouye will play Brandi Colwin.

The “Amber Brown” books have been published in 53 countries with over 10 million copies in print. Danziger wrote nine books in the series prior to her death in 2004. Then...