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Exclusive: Southern comic Dusty Slay has inked a deal for Netflix to debut Wet Heat, his second special for the service in two years, on the heels of 2024’s Workin’ Man, which will premiere on July 29.

In the hour, filmed at the Walker Theatre in Chattanooga, Tn, Slay’s signature working class comedy takes center stage, as he shares personal stories on everything from milking cows to elevator etiquette. Slay exec produced alongside Jordan Levy, Judi Marmel, Matt Beales, and Kinsey Shomo, with Matt Schuler of 800 Pound Gorilla Media producing.

“This special is a s hot as July in Alabama,” said Slay. “I do think this is my best work yet, and I am very excited for the people to see it. We’re having a good time!”

Recently highlighted in our profile on Nate Bargatze and his Nateland Entertainment, Slay aspires to be the voice of comedy for the overlooked and underappreciated working-class people.

Exclusive: Tony Award winner Brian Swibel has set a stacked cast for his feature directorial debut, comedic thriller The Very Best People. The ensemble piece will feature Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird), Lili Reinhart (Hal & Harper), Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), and Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire).

Written by John Lavelle based on his play The Very Best People, which premiered at Iama theatre company in the fall of 2024, along with Blades of Glory‘s Craig Cox, the film’s plot is being kept under wraps. Production kicks off in New York on May 22nd.

Brent Emery (The Stanford Prison Experiment), Justin Klosky, Alex Peace-Power, Tara Smith and Bita Khorrami are producing for Swibel’s Triptyk Studios, which is venturing into narrative features for the first time on this project. Veteran producer and casting director Bonnie Timmermann is also set to produce,...

Exclusive: To no one’s surprise, David O. Russell’s film about legendary coach and broadcaster John Madden is lining up another all-star ensemble as Deadline is hearing John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn and Sienna Miller are all in talks to join Madden for Amazon MGM Studios.

They join Nicolas Cage, who will portray the iconic sports figure, and Christian Bale, who will play the late Raiders owner Al Davis. When deals close, Mulaney will play Trip Hawkins, who founded EA Sports and was a driving force in behind the Madden NFL video games; Hahn will play Madden’s wife, Virginia; and Miller will play Davis’ wife, Carol. Russell is directing with Escape Artists’ Todd Black producing.

Amazon MGM Studios had no comment.

Production is set to start next month in Atlanta with Russell directing from a script he wrote, following an earlier version by Cambron Clark. Black is producing through...

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tapped comedian and Bollywood star Vir Das to host the International Emmy Awards. The 2024 trophy show is set for Monday, November 25 in New York City.

Das returns to the International Emmys as host following his win last year for his most recent Netflix comedy special Landing. He also was nominated in the Comedy category in 2021.

“We’re delighted to welcome back Vir Das to our stage and to add International Emmy® Host to his impressive list of talents.” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “With his unique humor and perspective on the world, he now joins a distinguished group of Gala hosts over the years who fit in perfectly with our global audience.”

Das is currently on his international Mind Fool tour. He also has created, produced, and starred in series including the ABC spy drama-comedy Whiskey Cavalier,...

USA Network’s The Rainmaker has added P.J. Byrne to its series regular cast alongside John Slattery, Milo Callaghan, Lana Parrilla and Madison Iseman.

From showrunner and executive producer Michael Seitzman and based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, The Rainmaker follows Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and his law school girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss (Lana Parrilla) and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.

Byrne will star as Deck Shifflet, a no-filter, shoot-from-the-hip law school grad who failed the bar seven times. He now operates as an unsentimental “paralawyer” at J. Lyman Stone.

In the 1997 film The Rainmaker from director Francis Ford Coppola, Deck was famously portrayed by Danny DeVito.

The Rainmaker received...

Exclusive: Jessica Henwick, Zach Woods, Topher Grace and Raff Law have rounded out the cast of Studiocanal, Blueprint Pictures and A24’s Huntington starring Glen Powell. Margaret Qualley and Ed Harris are also on board, with John Patton Ford directing.

The film follows Becket Redfellow (Powell), heir to a multibillion-dollar fortune, who will stop at nothing to get what he deserves … or what he thinks he deserves. Ford will direct from his original screenplay inspired by Studiocanal’s comedy library title Kind Hearts and Coronets. Studiocanal is fully financing the film, with casting director Lucy Bevan handling all casting.

(L-r) Glen Powell and John Patton Ford on the set of ‘Huntington’

EVP Global Production Ron Halpern and SVP Global Production Joe Naftalin will oversee for Studiocanal, along with Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent at Blueprint.

Henwick continues to stay busy as she was most recently seen in the Neon pic Cuckoo,...

Exclusive: Daniella Pineda, Allison Robertson, Robert Morgan and Grant Harvey have joined the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios and Artists Equity feature The Accountant 2, the sequel to the 2016 thriller. Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons and Cynthia Addai-Robinson are reprising their roles, with Gavin O’Connor returning as director. Bill Dubuque penned the script.

The film follows Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson), who after her boss is murdered by unknown assassins is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but lethal brother Brax (Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle.

As they get closer to the truth, the trio draws the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.

Artists Equity, which serves as the studio on The Accountant 2, acquired sequel rights from...

Exclusive: Jordan Alexa Davis (Defending Jacob) and P.J. Byrne (A Complete Unknown) are the final two additions to the cast of Flowervale Street, David Robert Mitchell’s IMAX “thrill-ride” for Warner Bros. Pictures and Bad Robot.

Their roles are under wraps, as is the film’s logline. Previously announced cast includes Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery.

Mitchell is directing from his script, also producing alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot, Jackson Pictures’ Matt Jackson, and Tommy Harper. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content are serving as executive producers, with Sheila Walcott and Zach Hamby overseeing the project for Warner Bros Motion Picture Group. Pic is slated for release on May 16, 2025.

Most recently, Davis recurred opposite Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery on Apple’s limited series Defending Jacob, also contributing a song to the soundtrack.

Known for roles in films like...

Actor and comedian Zach Woods has signed with the Gersh Agency for representation in all areas.

Woods is best known for his work on critically acclaimed series “Silicon Valley” and “The Office.” He played Donald “Jared” Dunn for six seasons on “Silicon Valley” and joined “The Office” as Gabe Lewis starting in Season 6.

He was most recently seen in the second season of Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty” alongside Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson, as well as Season 2 of Max’s “Avenue 5” and in Jeff Baena’s independent feature “Spin Me Round” with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Lil Rel Howery.

Woods’ stop-motion show “In The Know,” which he stars in and co-created with Mike Judge and Brandon Gardner, premiered on Peacock in January.

Woods began his career at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, where he frequently performed with the group The Stepfathers and in the weekly show “Asssscat.

Kumail Nanjiani has joined “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4 at Hulu, Variety has learned exclusively.

Nanjiani will appear in a recurring role that is mostly being kept under wraps, though an individual with knowledge of the situation says his character will be integral to this season’s investigation.

Nanjiani joins previously announced new Season 4 cast members Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Molly Shannon. Meryl Streep is also set to reprise her role from Season 3. The series is led by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.

Plot details are scarce for the new season, aside from the fact it is known the three main characters will make a trip to Los Angeles before returning to New York. Martin, John Hoffman, Short, and Gomez all executive produce “Only Murders in the Building” along with Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. It was created by Martin and Hoffman. 20th Television is the studio.

Exclusive: Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, comedian James Acaster and Emily Alyn Lind have joined the cast of the live-action sequel to Sony Pictures’ hit film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Gil Kenan is directing, and the previous pic’s cast including Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon will return as the setting shifts to the original films’ New York City and firehouse.

Related Story ‘Ghostbusters’ Animated Series In Works At Netflix Related Story 'Ghostbusters' Actor Ernie Hudson Recalls Being "Selectively Pushed Aside" By The Studio & Says Changes Were Made To Script After He Joined Related Story 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Sequel Taps Gil Kenan To Direct With Previous Cast Returning

Jason Reitman, who directed the 2021 pic, will move into the writer-producer role alongside co-scribe Kenan and Jason Blumenfeld.

Not much is known about the sequel, but sources say the plan is to return to New York City and the iconic firehouse made...

CAA has signed Emmy-nominated actor, writer and comedian Dewayne Perkins for representation.

A Variety 10 Comics to Watch honoree in 2020, Perkins’ recent credits include the upcoming MRC film “The Blackening,” which is set to be released by Lionsgate on June 16, the Disney+ special “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker” and the Amazon Prime Video animated series “Sausage Party: Foodtopia.”

Perkins co-produced and stars in “The Blackening,” which he co-wrote with Tracy Oliver. The horror-comedy premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and is inspired by a 3Peat comedy sketch of the same name, written by Perkins, that aired on Comedy Central in 2018. “The Blackening” also stars Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, Jay Pharoah and James Preston Rogers.

Perkins also served as a writer and co-executive producer on “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker” and as a co-executive producer on “Sausage Party: Foodtopia.” His television writing credits also include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,...

Exclusive: Universal and director Jon Chu have finalized their ensemble for its adaptation of the global hit Wicked with Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James joining the film. Also joining the cast are Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh and Colin Michael Carmichael. They join previously announced cast members Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater.

Bode will be playing Nessarose, Elphaba’s sister. The character is a wheelchair user, as is the Los Angeles-based Bode, who has been acting since the age of eight in a number of plays and musicals. Yang and James will play Pfannee and ShenShen, respectively, fellow classmates of Elphaba and Glinda at Shiz. As for Settle, she will play Miss Coddle, Teoh will play Avaric and Carmichael will play Nikidik. The film will be released in two parts as Christmas Day events in 2024 and 2025.

Chu is directing the film...

Exclusive: Eddie Cibrian (Country Comfort) and Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Dominion) have joined the Season 3 cast of ABC’s Home Economics in recurring guest star roles. The comedy series currently airs Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m.

Cibrian will portray the character of Santiago, an extremely good-looking contractor who starts working with Marina (Karla Souza). Pineda will play the role of Nikki, a woman Connor (Jimmy Tatro) meets and tries to impress.

Home Economics, inspired by series co-creator Michael Colton’s real-life experiences, documents the uncomfortable yet heartwarming relationships of three siblings in very different situations: one in the ultra-rich, one in the middle class, and one scraping by. The series stars Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza, Sasheer Zamata, Shiloh Bearman, Jordyn Curet, Chloe Jo Rountree, and JeCobi Swain.

Creators Colton and John Aboud serve as executive producers alongside Grace, Eric, and Kim Tannenbaum of The Tannenbaum Company,...

Exclusive: Netflix has Dave Bautista circling to star in Unleashed, with Tag‘s Jeff Tomsic attached to direct a script by Blockers scribes Jim & Brian Kehoe.

Bautista is in talks to star and produce with his partner Jonathan Meisner alongside Good Fear’s Chris Bender and Jake Weiner. He’ll play a police officer who’s best friends with a canine partner that can sniff out any crime. When Boomer dies on the job, the cop pledges no more pooch partners, until he is teamed with Zeus. Bautista will next be seen on Netflix in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which premieres next month at TIFF, and he wrapped Knock at the Cabin for Universal and is shooting Dune 2 for Warner Bros.

The Kehoes are exec producing, and this is the third star-driven project set up this year for them. Their comic script Double Fault has Rebel Wilson attached...

Conan O’Brien, “SNL” star Bowen Yang and “Hacks” breakout Meg Stalter have all joined the cast of the untitled buddy comedy film from the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy that’s in the works at Universal.

Please Don’t Destroy — which is made up of Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy — are writing, starring and executive producing the film. And also joining the cast are “The Daily Show” writer X Mayo and “Maggie” star Nichole Sakura.

Paul Briganti of “SNL” is directing the comedy film. Apatow Productions’ Judd Apatow and Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller are producing.

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Taron Egerton to Star in ‘Carry On’ Thriller for Netflix and Amblin

In the film, the trio finds themselves in a rut and set off for the adventure of a lifetime when they hear a rumor that gold is buried in a nearby mountain.

Production for the film began in North Carolina in July,...

Late-night legend Conan O’Brien, SNL cast member Bowen Yang, Hacks breakout Meg Stalter, Emmy nominee X Mayo (The Daily Show) and Nichole Sakura (Maggie) have joined the cast of Universal’s untitled buddy comedy from Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy—the SNL comedy trio best known as Please Don’t Destroy.

The recently-announced film currently in production in North Carolina tackles the story of three childhood friends who live and work together. The trio decides they don’t like where their lives are headed and set off to find gold treasure rumored to be buried in the nearby mountain. In addition to writing the screenplay, Marshall, Higgins and Herlihy are exec producing and leading the film, which SNL‘s Paul Briganti is directing.

Apatow Productions’ Judd Apatow is producing alongside Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller, with Apatow Productions’ Josh Church, Mosaic’s M. Riley and Sam Hansen, and Michael Sledd...

Please Don’t Destroy, the comedy trio of “Saturday Night Live” fame, is putting together a starry cast for its upcoming buddy comedy.

Conan O’Brien, “SNL” star Bowen Yang, “Hacks” breakout Meg Stalter, comedian X Mayo and “Superstore” actor Nichole Sakura have joined the untitled movie, which is set at Universal Pictures.

As previously announced, Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy — the threesome behind Please Don’t Destroy — will star in the movie in addition to writing the screenplay.

“SNL” alum Paul Briganti is directing the comedy, with Judd Apatow set to produce. The movie is currently in production in North Carolina. It’s set to be released in theaters on Aug. 18, 2023.

The film follows three childhood friends who live and work together. When the trio decides they don’t like their life trajectory, they set off to find a gold treasure that is rumored to be buried in a nearby mountain.

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Saturday Night Live writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy are getting a boost from comedy luminaries for their feature debut.

Conan O’Brien, SNL favorite Bowen Yang, Hacks breakout Meg Stalter, former The Daily Show writer X Mayo and Superstore alum Nichole Sakura have joined the untitled buddy comedy from Universal Studios. The film centers on three childhood friends who head off to a nearby mountain in search of gold treasure rumored to be buried there. Filming began earlier this month in North Carolina, with SNL‘s Paul Briganti directing.

Marshall, Higgins and Herlihy wrote the script and star.The men behind the project rose to prominence as the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. The trio went from making viral sketch videos to becoming writers on SNL to a breakout moment on SNL in October with a sketch lampooning hard seltzers.

“The Afterparty” Season 2 at Apple is bringing back Season 1 stars Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao while also adding seven new cast members, Variety has learned.

Richardson and Chao join previously announced returning Season 1 star Tiffany Haddish. The new season will revolve around a murder at a wedding.

The new cast members are: Zach Woods as Edgar; Elizabeth Perkins as Isabel; Poppy Liu as Grace; Paul Walter Hauser as Travis; Anna Konkle (“Pen15”) as Hannah; Jack Whitehall as Sebastian; and Vivian Wu as Vivian.

Created by Chris Miller, each episode of “The Afterparty” explores a different character’s account of one fateful evening, all told through the lens of popular film genres and unique visuals to match the storyteller’s perspective.

Miller and Phil Lord executive produce “The Afterparty” under their Lord Miller banner along with Anthony King. King and Miller will work as co-showrunners on Season 2. Lord Miller’s Aubrey Lee is a producer.

Exclusive: Y’lan Noel (The First Purge), Mikey Madison (Better Things) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things) are set as leads opposite Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o in Lady In The Lake, Apple TV+’s limited series adaptation of Laura Lippman’s book, created and directed by Alma Har’el (Honey Boy) and produced by Endeavor Content.

The limited series, which has started production, takes place in 60s Baltimore, where an unsolved murder pushes housewife and mother, Maddie Schwartz, played by Portman, to reinvent her life as an investigative journalist and sets her on a collision course with Cleo Sherwood, played by Nyong’o, a hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore’s Black progressive agenda.

Lady in the Lake is produced by Crazyrose and Bad Wolf America, and is executive produced by Har’el alongside producing partner Christopher Leggett through her new production company, Zusa. In addition to starring,...

Exclusive: Kitao Sakurai will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of Peacock’s Twisted Metal.

Twisted Metal is a comedic half-hour live-action adaptation of the popular video game from Sony Pictures TV, PlayStation Productions, and Universal Television. Anthony Mackie both stars and executive produces the series.

From Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith, Twisted Metal is a high-octane action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.

Mackie plays John Doe, a smart-ass milkman who talks as fast as he drives.

Miramax comedy “Old Dads,” the directorial debut for Bill Burr, who will also star in the film, has made nine additions to its cast, The Wrap has exclusively learned.

Jackie Tohn (“Glow”), Miles Robbins (“Halloween”), Rachael Harris (“Lucifer”), Dash McCloud (“Candy”), Justin Miles (“The Walking Dead”), Natasha Leggero (“Burning Love”), Katrina Bowden (“30 Rock”), Josh Brener (“Silicon Valley”) and Rory Scovel (“Physical”) have joined the cast for “Old Dads.”

“Old Dads” centers on a middle-aged father, Jack (Burr), and his two best friends (Cannavale and Woodbine), who after selling their company to a millennial, find themselves out of step and behind the times as they hilariously struggle to navigate a changing world of culture, career and fatherhood.

They will appear in the comedy alongside Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton and Reign Edwards.

Burr is set to make his feature directorial debut and also co-wrote the script with Ben Tishler.

Exclusive: Emmy nominated actor Cameron Britton and Mike Birbiglia have joined the cast of Sf Studios’ A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks. Marc Forster will direct with two-time Oscar nominee David Magee adapting the screenplay from Fredrik Backman’s comical 1# New York Times Bestseller A Man Called Ove – with the titular character being renamed to reflect the shift to an American setting. Britton and Birbiglia join a cast that already includes Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo are also on board

Fredrik Wikström Nicastro of Sf Studios is producing the film with Rita Wilson and Hanks and his Playtone partner Gary Goetzman. Forster and Renée Wolfe will serve as executive producer via their production company 2DUX2. Sf Studios is also fully financing the project. Magee is also executive producing.

Sony Pictures will release the film in theaters on December 25, 2022.

Based on the comical and moving New York Times bestseller,...

Exclusive: Longtime Saturday Night Live star Aidy Bryant has signed with CAA.

It comes six months after Bryant, who has spent ten years on the venerable NBC variety comedy series, signed an overall deal with Universal Television, where she is developing new projects for the studio.

Bryant made her debut as a featured player on NBC in 2012 and was promoted to repertory player during her second season on the show. During her time at the Lorne Michaels-created show, she has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations including two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

She is also the co-creator and star of Hulu’s Shrill, which last year ran its third and final season.

It will be interesting to see whether Bryant returns to Saturday Night Live for next season; Michaels has afforded many of his current batch of stars, including Bryant, a bit more flexibility...

Exclusive: Following the critical acclaim of his Netflix comedy Bad Trip, director Kitao Sakurai has set his sights on his next major studio pic, being set to helm 72 Hours for Sony Pictures. John Davis is producing through his Davis Entertainment banner along with Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald through their Counterbalance Entertainment. Davis Entertainment’s John Fox and Jeremy Stein are executive producing.

While the plot is being kept under wraps, top-tier talent already is lining up, given the heat behind Bad Trip and Cobra Kai. Hurwitz and Schlossberg wrote the original screenplay for 72 Hours, with rewrites by Nicholas Thomas.

Sakurai has been a rising star in directing circles and gained support from his peers after directing and executive producing The Eric Andre Show for Adult Swim. Following that success, Andre and Sakurai teamed up on Netflix’s top comedy Bad Trip, directed and co-written by Sakurai and starring Andre.

Fox has given a script commitment with penalty to Country Eastern, a single-camera comedy written by India’s top comedian and Bollywood star Vir Das. The intent is for Das to also star in the project, from Party Over Here, the production company founded by the Lonely Island’s Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, and CBS Studios. Fox Entertainment and CBS Studios will co-produce.

Sam Laybourne (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) will co-write Country Eastern with Das and will serve as showrunner of the comedy about a young wealthy man from India (a role earmarked for Das) who restarts his life in America with his family. While attempting to rebuild their lives in Memphis, Tennessee, he decides to pursue his passion and become a country music singer. Only problem, he’s sh*t. Total sh*t. He’s going to have to gain some life experience in the States...

Exclusive: Awkwafina is set to join Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage Universal Pictures’ Renfield, a monster movie centered on Dracula’s familiar henchman with Hoult playing the title role.

No word yet on what Awkwafina’s role would be.

The Tomorrow War director Chris McKay is on board to helm the pic, which is based on an original story outline from Robert Kirkman. Ryan Ridley wrote the script. Cage will play Dracula.

McKay’s producing partner Samantha Nisenboim will be joining the project as executive producer. The film will be produced by Skybound Entertainment’s film team including Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst.

In the original Dracula novel, R.M. Renfield was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions but actually is a servant of Dracula. Plot details of the movie weren’t announced, but it’s believed to take...

Exclusive: Sony Pictures is closing a deal for No Hard Feelings, an edgy comic vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence that will be directed by Gene Stupnitsky. Sony prevailed in stiff competition.

Script was written by Stupnitsky, whose credits range from The Office to Bad Teacher and Good Boys. He wrote the script with John Phillips. This is an R-rated comedy very much in that spirit, a raucous comedy in the vein of Bad Teacher and There’s Something About Mary.

Sony won the deal for a sizeable sum and its zeal to provide a theatrical release for the comedy. Producers include Alex Saks, Marc Provissiero, Naomi Odenkirk, Lawrence and Justine Polsky.

Unclear where the picture factors into the dance card of Lawrence, who has several films vying for her next slot. They include the Paolo Sorrentino-directed film about the late Hollywood super agent Sue Mengers for Apple, and the Adam McKay...

DreamWorks Animation has enlisted a star-studded cast for its upcoming cartoon action comedy “The Bad Guys.”

Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, “Crazy Rich Asians” actor Awkwafina, “In the Heights” star Anthony Ramos and Marc Maron of Netflix’s “Glow” will lead the voice cast. Rounding out the call sheet are Craig Robinson (“The Office”), Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh (“Bad Moms”), Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Richard Ayoade (“Paddington 2”).

“The Bad Guys” follows a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws as they attempt their most challenging con yet — becoming model citizens. It will be released on April 15, 2022, by Universal Pictures.

The film is being adapted from the Scholastic book series by Aaron Blabey and will mark the feature directorial debut of Pierre Perifel. Perifel previously served as an animator on “Kung Fu Panda” and “Shrek Forever After.” Etan Cohen, whose screenwriting credits include “Tropic Thunder” and “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa...

Exclusive: One of the top books of 2020, Homeland Elegies by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ayad Akhtar, is headed to television with a high-profile limited series adaptation in development at FX. It is executive produced by Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) who is set to star.

Akhtar (Disgraced) will pen the adaptation with Oren Moverman (The Messenger), who is slated to direct the eight-episode limited series, produced by FX Productions. The project hails from Sight Unseen (Bad Eduction) and Nimitt Mankad (Captain Fantastic) and his Inimitable Pictures.

Raucous and searing, Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of identity and belonging in post-Trump America. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.

Akhtar, Nanjiani, Moverman and Sight Unseen’s Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman will executive produce, along...

“Saturday Night Live” actor Bowen Yang and stand-up comedian Joel Kim Booster will star in a modern romantic comedy called “Fire Island” set at Searchlight Pictures.

Andrew Ahn, the director behind the acclaimed indie “Driveways,” is directing the “unapologetic” feature that’s inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

“Fire Island” is set in the iconic Fire Island Pines and centers around two best friends who set out to have a legendary week-long summer vacation at the gay mecca with the help of cheap rosé and a cadre of eclectic friends.

Booster also wrote the original screenplay. Filming will begin this summer in both New York City and Fire Island. Searchlight will release the film as a Hulu Original in the U.S. and on Star through Disney+ internationally.

Jax Media, the team behind “Russian Doll” and “Search Party,” is producing the film, with John Hodges, Brooke Posch and Tony Hernandez serving as producers.

Bowen Yang and Joel Kim Booster are set to star in “Fire Island,” a romantic comedy from “Spa Night” director Andrew Ahn.

Described as a modern day take on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” the film will center on two best friends embarking on a weeklong vacation to Fire Island — the historic gay escape off the southern shore of Long Island — with the help of cheap rosé and a cadre of eclectic friends.

The project is set up at Searchlight, and will release exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. Globally, the film will stream on Disney Plus under the Star brand.

Jax Media (“Russian Doll”) is producing the project. Ahn will direct from an original feature script by Booster. Shooting will commence this August on Fire Island and in New York City. John Hodges, Brooke Posch and Tony Hernandez will serve as producers for Jax, with Chan Phung...

Jack Black is in talks to star with Ice Cube in Sony Pictures’ comedy Oh Hell No, to be directed by cutting-edge comedy director Kitao Sakurai. Matt Tolmach is producing through Matt Tolmach Productions with Black and Roz Music.

Story follows Sherman (Black), who falls in love with Will (Cube) mom, who has only one thing to say about that, “Oh hell no.”. Scot Armstrong, Tracy Oliver, Jessica Gao and Rodney Rothman wrote the script. Brittany Morrissey is overseeing for the studio. Film bows July 1, 2022.

Well known in the comedy world for directing and executive producing The Eric Andre Show for Adult Swim, Sakurai most recently directed and co-wrote Netflix’s No. 1 comedy movie Bad Trip, starring Eric Andre and Tiffany Haddish. He also recently directed episodes of Season 2 of Dave and Bj Novak’s untitled upcoming series on FX.

Cube starred in the box office hit Ride Along and its sequel,...

Exclusive: Showtime has put into development Rivkah, a comedy from comedian and writer Robby Hoffman (The Chris Gethard Show) and A24.

Written by Hoffman, the project is inspired by her real life and focuses on two worlds — the idyllic contemporary life Hoffman lives as a genderqueer woman on the Eastside of L.A., and her childhood growing up as a closeted girl named Rivkah with nine siblings set in the world of the Hasidic community in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights. Hoffman would play the adult version of the character, should it go to series.

Hoffman, Alli Reich, Hallie Sekoff, Ravi Nandan and Jordan Tilzer are executive producers.

2020-21 Amazon Prime Video Pilots & Series Orders

Hoffman wrote for the Catherine Reitman comedy Workin’ Moms (Netflix), Baroness Von Sketch Show (IFC), and The Chris Gethard Show (TruTV). She won a Daytime Emmy for her work on the PBS children’s show Odd Squad.

Exclusive: Icon, the anthology drama in the works at Fox that will profile music legends such as Naomi and Wynonna Judd, has found its showrunner.

The Morning Show exec producer Adam Milch has joined the project and will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer.

Icon, which was put into development last summer, will tell the story of country music’s first mother/daughter duo, Naomi and Wynonna Judd.

The duo dominated country music in the 1980s and ’90s, winning countless awards, selling more than 20 million albums and creating a string of hits. The Judds stopped performing as a duo in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Wynonna then began a successful solo career. The two occasionally have reunited for special tours, the most recent in 2010.

The series will spotlight the drama behind the glamour and the dynamic relationship between the pair. It will tell their story through the...

Exclusive: Stand-up comedian Mo Amer is the latest to join Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam posse for New Line/DC.

Details of his role are being kept secret, but he joins an ever-growing cast that includes Johnson in the title role, Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, with Marwan Kenzari, James Cusati-Moyer and Bodhi Sabongui rounding out the cast.

Amer is known for his Netflix comedy special Mo Amer: The Vagabond and the award-winning Hulu sitcom Ramy on which the comedian stars as Ramy Youssef’s Muslim cousin Mo, who owns a diner. Amer is one-third of the comedy troupe Allah Made Me Funny. He appears in the upcoming comedy film Americanish.

Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Johnson and Emily Blunt in Disney’s upcoming July 30 theatrical release Jungle Cruise, is directing Black Adam. Johnson, Dany Garcia...

Apple TV+ has rounded out the ensemble cast for its new dramedy Physical. Paul Sparks, Rory Scovel, Lou Taylor Pucci, Della Saba, Dierdre Friel and Ashley Liao (Fuller House) join Rose Byrne in the series from Almost Family creator Annie Weisman, Dirty John showrunner Alexandra Cunningham and Tomorrow Studios.

Written by Weisman, who also will serve as showrunner, Physical is set in a 1980s Southern California beach community. It follows Sheila (Byrne), a woman struggling in her life as a quietly tortured housewife who finds an unconventional path to power through an unlikely source: the world of aerobics.

Sparks will play John Breem, a conservative real estate developer convinced the mall will save the American family.

Scovel portrays Danny, Sheila’s husband, a brilliant and disagreeable...

Awkwafina is joining Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris in the drama film “Swan Song” for Apple Plus.

“Swan Song” is described as a genre-bending drama set in the near future that explores how far someone will go, and how much they’ll sacrifice, to make a happier life for the people they love. Awkwafina will play Kate, the close friend and confidant of Ali’s Cameron character while Harris is playing Poppy, Cameron’s wife and true soulmate.

“Swan Song” is directed and written by Benjamin Cleary and produced by Apple Studios, Anonymous Content and Concordia Studio. Adam Shulman and Jacob Perlin will produce the film on behalf of Anonymous Content. Jonathan King will produce on behalf of Concordia Studio. In addition to starring, Ali is also a producer through his company Know Wonder.

Awkwafina won the Golden Globe earlier this year for her lead performance in “The Farewell.” She...

Actors Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are joining forces for an untitled new comedy at Netflix.

The award-nominated pair will play sisters in the feature film, to be produced by Gloria Sanchez’s Jessica Elbaum. Jen D’Angelo, the writer on Disney Plus’ upcoming “Hocus Pocus” sequel, will pen the script and produce as well.

Oh will star as a lonely recluse whose life is upended when her train-wreck sister vows to mend their relationship by helping her fulfill a lifelong dream — to appear as a contestant on her favorite game show.

Itay Reiss and Maggie Haskins from Artists First will also produce. D’Angelo is on a hot streak, also serving as co-executive producer on the NBC series “Young Rock” starring Dwayne Johnson, and doing a pass on Skydance’s sci-fi feature “The Tomorrow War.” Her additional credits include “Solar Opposites” and “Workaholics.”

Awkwafina is represented by UTA, Artists First, attorney Isaac Dunham and Kovert Creative.

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh will portray sisters in a comedy for Netflix that will be written by the woman behind the upcoming “Hocus Pocus” sequel and produced by Will Ferrell.

The untitled film is about a lonely recluse whose life is upended when her train wreck of a sister vows to mend their relationship by helping her fulfill her lifelong dream: to be a contestant on her favorite game show.

Jen D’Angelo, who is writing the “Hocus Pocus” sequel for Disney+ and is a co-executive producer on the NBC series “The Young Rock” with Dwayne Johnson, is writing the screenplay.

Ferrell will produce with Jessica Elbaum for their Gloria Sanchez banner, as will Itay Reiss and Maggie Haskins from Artists First. D’Angelo; Awkwafina and Oh will also all produce.

Awkwafina and Oh are both Golden Globe winners, with Oh becoming the first Asian woman to win for Lead Actress...

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh are teaming for a yet-to-be-titled sister comedy feature film for Netflix. The script is by Jen D’Angelo, the screenwriter behind the forthcoming Hocus Pocus sequel for Disney+.

The film centers on a lonely recluse whose life is upended when her train wreck of a sister vows to mend their relationship by helping her fulfill her lifelong dream: to be a contestant on her favorite game show.

Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell are producing the pic for Gloria Sanchez along with Itay Reiss and Maggie Haskins from Artists First, as well as D’Angelo, Awkwafina, and Oh.

Oh is currently starring in the British spy thriller series Killing Eve and is also remembered for her longtime turn as Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, two performances that have resulted in Golden Globe awards. Her upcoming slate includes the supernatural horror film Umma and Over the Moon,...

Actor and comedian Vir Das, who was named to Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch” list in 2017, has enlisted UTA for worldwide representation in all areas.

Das’ latest comedy special, “Vir Das: For India” debuted on Netflix in January. He has a long history with the streamer, becoming the first comedian from India to have a stand-up special on the platform when his show “Abroad Understanding” premiered in 2017. Following the success of that show, Das inked a multi-special deal and followed it up with “Losing It” in 2018. Currently, Das stars in the local language series “Hasmukh,” which he also created.

After making a splash with guest appearances on “Conan,” the actor made his U.S. television debut on “Whiskey Cavalier” in 2019. Das was a series regular on the ABC drama, which starred Scott Foley and Lauren Cohen. The same year, Das launched the Amazon Prime Video series “Jestination Unknown,” an unscripted...

“Silicon Valley” star Thomas Middleditch will play the lead role in Chuck Lorre’s latest comedy pilot for CBS “B Positive.”

The project centers on Drew (Middleditch), a newly divorced dad who is faced with finding a kidney donor. At the end of his rope, he runs into Gina (Annaleigh Ashford), a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives.

Middleditch’s Drew is a therapist who makes his living trying to fix other people’s problems. Educated, bookish, and neurotic, he lacks social skills and isn’t much of a people person.

Also Read: TV Pilot Season 2020: TheWrap's Complete Guide

The cast also includes Sara Rue as Drew’s ex-wife Julia, and “You’re the Worst” alum Kether Donohue as Leanne. “B Positive” is from Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch has been tapped as the lead in B Positive, CBS’ multi-camera comedy pilot from the Mom team of Marco Pennette, Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros TV.

Written by Pennette, B Positive centers on Drew (Middleditch), a newly divorced dad faced with finding a kidney donor and who is at the end of his rope when he runs into Gina (Annaleigh Ashford), a rough-around-the edges woman from his past who volunteers her own. Together they form an unlikely bond and begin a journey that will change both of their lives.

In addition to Ashford, Middleditch joins previously cast Kether Donohue and Sara Rue in what is shaping up as one of the strongest comedy pilot ensembles assembled this season.

Pennette and Lorre executive produce. Warner Bros Television produces with Lorre’s studio-based Chuck Lorre Productions.

Middleditch had been sought after, coming off his six-season starring turn on HBO’s Silicon Valley,...

Awkwafina is attached to star in a new film telling the true story of the most successful female gambler in history, a project with the working title of “The Baccarat Machine” from Sk Global, Skg’s co-CEOs John Penotti and Charlie Corwin announced Wednesday.

Awkwafina will play gambler Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun and follow her unlikely partnership with legendary poker player Phil Ivey to beat some of the country’s major casinos at their own game.

“The Baccarat Machine” is inspired by Michael Kaplan’s article of the same name as published in Cigar Aficionado. It tells the true story of Kelly Sun, a young Chinese woman who turns a painstakingly developed talent and obsession for payback into beating the system at their own game. With major casinos conspiring to bar her from their properties, Sun partners with the international “King of Poker” Phil Ivey in order to take down the system through subterfuge,...

Awkwafina is set to star in “The Baccarat Machine,” a gambling drama inspired by a Cigar Aficionado article by Michael Kaplan.

The film, set up at Sk Global, centers on Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun and her unlikely partnership with poker player Phil Ivey. Sun amassing millions of dollars of winnings by teaming with Ivey and using a technique known as edge sorting — recognizing the use of playing cards in which the edges on either side are unevenly cut by fractions of an inch.

“We can’t think of a better way to start this project than by announcing that our friend Awkwafina has come on board,” Sk Global co-ceo John Penotti said, “She is uniquely equipped to bring Kelly to life onscreen and will infuse the role with genuine humor and humanity. Along with our partners at Sharp, we’re thrilled to bring this unbelievable story to the screen.”

Sk...

Awkwafina is set to star in Sk Global upcoming feature The Baccarat Machine (working title) inspired by the true story of the most successful female gambler in modern history, Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, and her unlikely partnership with legendary poker player Phil Ivey. This is Awkwafina’s second project with Sk Global following her breakout in Warner Bros.’ Crazy Rich Asians.

The project is based on the Las Vegas insider Michael Kaplan article “The Baccarat Machine,” published in Cigar Aficionado, which follows young Chinese woman Sun as she painstakingly develops talent and obsession for payback into beating the system at their own game. With major casinos conspiring to bar her from their properties, Sun partners with the international “King of Poker” Phil Ivey in order to take down the system through subterfuge, ingenuity, and pure daring, resulting in one of the most ingenious legal gambling runs ever documented.

Skg Co-CEOs...

Awkwafina will star in the fantasy-adventure feature film “The Last Adventure of Constance Verity” for Legendary.

The production company has acquired the feature film rights to adapt the eponymous series written by A. Lee Martinez. John Raffo has written the script.

Jon Shestack, who brought the project to Raffo and attached Awkwafina, is producing. Jon Silk will oversee alongside Jay Ashenfelter for Legendary Entertainment.

The series follows Constance Verity who, for mysterious reasons, was thrust into a battle with the supernatural from the moment she was born, and has been saving the world from disaster ever since. She’s exhausted and wants to sample what she has missed out on: a boyfriend, a normal job, best friends. But it’s not easy to walk away from a life of adventure when in fact you are the chosen one.

Saga Press published “The Last Adventure of Constance Verity” in 2016 and a...

She’s been a rapper, a pickpocket and a crazy rich Asian, now Awkwafina is set to play an ass-kicking detective destined to save the world.

Awkwafina, who most recently starred in Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” is set to star in the fantasy adventure adaptation of “The Last Adventure of Constance Verity,” based on the book of the same name by A. Lee Martinez.

Legendary Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the rights to adapt the book from a spec script by John Raffo (“Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”).

Also Read: Awkwafina Had Doubts About Her Dramatic Turn in 'The Farewell': 'I Never Thought I'd See a Script Like This' (Video)

Martinez’s book follows Constance Verity who, for mysterious reasons, was thrust into a battle with the supernatural and has been saving the world since she was 7 — and she’s sick of it. She...