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Riches will not be returning for a second season. Prime Video has cancelled the British drama that was released on the streaming service in December 2022. Six episodes were produced.

Starring Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie, Sarah Niles, Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, Nneka Okoye, and Emmanuel Imani, the drama follows the very successful Richards family. As the adult children deal with the death of their father, they also try to figure out who will take control of the family business.

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Prime Video is not proceeding with a second season of drama series Riches. Series creator/executive producer Abby Ajayi on Friday shared the news of the show’s end on Instagram.

“This time last year we launched,” she wrote, referring to the Riches Dec. 2, 2022 premiere on Prime Video. “Much love to this incredible ensemble of actors and our fabulous crew. Thank you to everyone who supported. So proud we got to make this show.”

Ajayi went on to tease the second season she had prepped, as evident by the Reaches 2 notebook in one of the photo accompanying the post.

“I still had many more stories to tell… And, it was gonna be...

Prime Video is fresh out of Riches.

The British drama will not return for Season 2 at the streaming video service, TVLine has confirmed. Creator Abby Ajayi announced that the show wouldn’t be coming back in a social media post Friday.

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“This time last year we launched,” Ajayi wrote in an Instagram post.

Respectability has been a pillar of Black American culture since Emancipation. Since Black people arrived on the shores of America, we have been subjected to hardships and cruelties based solely on our skin color. For centuries we’ve combated horrible stereotypes in our everyday lives and American popular culture. For Black women, in particular, being anything other than docile and likable meant that you could be seen as masculine, mean, overly sexual, asexual, and conniving. These terms were weaponized against Black people by outsiders and insiders like W.E.B Dubois, who touted his talented tenth, the most educated of the race, as the epitome of “good” Blackness and the embattled Bill Cosby with his “perfect” portrayal of the Black family in “The Cosby Show.”

Though respectability has been lauded as a tool for full citizenship in the Black community, it’s a falsehood. More than that, the performance of likability is exhausting.

Do decent people become real bastards when they acquire wealth?” For Hugh Quarshie, that’s the central question in the soapy new drama, Riches, in which he plays the CEO of a family-run Black haircare company. For reasons that quickly become clear, Quarshie doesn’t end up having much screen time – but his impact is felt throughout the entire show. Over six episodes, the debut season follows the Richards family as they figure out how to save their business from financial ruin.

Taking the role in Riches was not a difficult decision for Quarshie. Since his first professional credit in 1979, the 68-year-old’s career has ranged widely, from medical procedural Holby City to the title role in Othello for the RSC. Earlier this year, he was Bafta-nominated for best actor in Stephen, a miniseries about the aftermath of Stephen Lawrence’s murder. When he first spoke to Riches showrunner Abby Ajayi,...

It’s not exactly a spoiler to say that by minute 11 of the opening episode of “Riches,” there’s a power struggle. The new Prime Video drama series centers on the fortunes of Flair & Glory, a UK-based cosmetics company that prides itself on being one of the beauty industry’s premiere businesses, Black-owned or otherwise. Yet, when the man at the top of that pyramid falls, it’s up to the rest of the family to fill the void he left behind.

Put it off as long as you can, but it’s a near-impossibility to talk about “Riches” without addressing the similarities its premise shares with one of TV’s heaviest hitters. The center of the Venn diagram between “Riches” and “Succession” has things that aren’t necessarily proprietary to the latter. It’s hard to build drama around a fictional large company without at least one financial scandal...

The nighttime soap, with its amped-up rivalries and luxurious trappings, may be somewhat out of fashion on broadcast TV right now. In the years since “Empire,” there hasn’t been a new show with commensurate vivid ambition, or such a shameless desire to thrill.

Which has created an opening for streamers. Earlier this year, the Kerry Washington-produced “Reasonable Doubt,” on Hulu, made a case for itself as a would-be “Scandal” successor, with its careening defense attorney protagonist taking viewers on a rollickingly dramatic ride. And now, on Amazon Prime Video, comes the series “Riches,” created by Abby Ajayi, previously a writer for “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Inventing Anna.” Ajayi’s new series merges a sharply observed family dynamic with a high-stepping verve reminiscent of the best of the genre.

Here, the aptly named Richards family — those first four letters suggestive of their wealth — is cast into...

Get ready for Prime Video‘s new series about beautiful people behaving very badly in the new series Riches from Abby Ajayi. The series follows “the exploits of the stylish, privileged, super-successful Richards family. When Stephen Richards passes suddenly, the family’s world comes crashing down. As his business hangs in the balance, his different sets of children are about to collide as they vie for control.” All six episodes are set to drop on Friday, December 2. Amazon Prime The high-stakes family drama stars Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie (Absentia), Sarah Niles, Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, Nneka Okoye, and Emmanuel Imani. The trailer starts out with an ominous female voiceover saying, “He hasn’t been my father since a sunny day in 1993 when he told me he had ...

“Who needs enemies when you have family?”

That’s the central question behind Prime Video’s Riches, a six-episode family drama created by Abby Ajayi (How to Get Away With Murder, Inventing Anna).

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Per the show’s official logline, Riches “follows the exploits of the stylish, privileged, super-successful Richards family. When Stephen Richards passes suddenly, the family’s world comes crashing down.

Prime Video released the official teaser for upcoming series “Riches,” the streamer’s family drama about the privileged Richards family.

The high-stakes series is written and created by Abby Ajayi and stars ​​Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie, Sarah Niles, Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, Nneka Okoye and Emmanuel Imani.

Here’s the logline: When Stephen Richards, played by Quarshie, passes suddenly, the family’s world comes crashing down and threatens the viability of the family business. His different sets of children, with conflicting ideals and goals, collide in an attempt for unilateral control of the business.

The series is produced by Greenacre Films in association with Monumental Television, and commissioned by ITV. Amazon Studios co-produces. Nadine Marsh-Edwards, Amanda Jenks and writer/creator Ajayi serve as executive producers for Greenacre Films, and Alison Owen and Alison Carpenter are executive producers for Monumental Television.

All six episodes will premiere on Prime Video in the U.

Riches is coming soon to Prime Video, and the streaming service has released the first photos and key artwork. A family drama written and created by Abby Ajayi, the series follows the successful Richards family following the death of their patriarch. Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie, Sarah Niles, Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, Nneka Okoye, and Emmanuel Imani star in the series. The six-episode series will arrive on December 2nd.

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Fox Sports Films has announced the upcoming original documentary “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall,” spotlighting Boston Red Sox veteran and Fox MLB analyst Ortiz (aka Big Papi). The sports documentary is set to premiere Oct. 14 on FS1.

“David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall” follows the baseball career and legacy of Ortiz, from the Red Sox’s three World Series championships to his Hall of Fame induction. The documentary film features exclusive interviews with various teammates and rivals, along with behind-the-scenes footage showcasing Ortiz’s intimate moments and celebrations.

“This film sends the message to my fans that if you have faith and don’t quit, you can achieve your dreams,” said Ortiz in a statement. “I was very fortunate to achieve mine and I am humbled by my entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am honored that Fox Sports, Check Point Productions and my very own Big Papi Productions...

Deborah Ayorinde (“Them”) and Hugh Quarshie (“Stephen”) lead the cast of six-part Amazon Studio and ITV drama series “Riches,” production on which has commenced in London.

The series, created and written by Abby Ajayi (“How to Get Away With Murder”), is produced by Greenacre Films. It follows the exploits of the brash, super-successful, and wealthy Richards family. When Stephen Richards suffers a sudden medical emergency, the family’s world comes crashing down. As his life hangs in the balance, his different sets of children are about to collide.

Ayorinde stars as Nina, the estranged daughter of self-made millionaire, Stephen Richards, played by Quarshie. Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”) plays Stephen’s second wife, Claudia, Brendan Coyle (“Downton Abbey”) his trusted advisor and confidante, Gideon, and Hermione Norris (“Luther”) as his faithful assistant, Maureen Dawson.

The cast also includes Adeyinka Akinrinade (“Top Boy”), Ola Orebiyi (“Cherry”), C.J. Beckford (“Sitting in Limbo”) Nneka Okoye...

Amazon Studios has boarded ITV’s forthcoming Succession-like drama Riches, with Them’s Deborah Ayorinde and Stephen’s Hugh Quarshie joining the cast as production kicks off in London.

The show from How To Get Away With Murder writer Abby Ajayi will premiere on Amazon Prime in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Nordics and Sub-Saharan Africa. Amazon and ITV previously tied on Kate Beckinsale drama The Widow.

Joining Ayorinde and Quarshie are Ted Lasso’s Sarah Niles, Downton Abbey’s Brendan Coyle and Luther’s Hermione Norris, along with Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, C.J. Beckford Nneka Okoye and Emmanuel Imani.

Revealed exclusively by Deadline a year ago, Riches, which spans New York and London, comes from Been So Long producer Greenacre Films in association...

An interesting take on identity, as one half of a young couple videos the other, gets taken over by social commentary

This London drama is directed with absolute confidence by first-timers Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers, hitting the ground running with a girl-meets-boy story set in Brixton. It begins with a chaotic rush of teenage energy and hormones when white middle-class teenager Leah (Lily Newmark) gets together with Benji (Ola Orebiyi), who is black and from a low-income family. Before they meet, budding video artist Leah secretly follows Benji around Brixton, voyeuristically filming him handing out flyers for his mum’s nail bar and mucking about with his mates. Her footage gives us a portrait of Benji as an intriguing mix of charisma and shyness – with an innate kindness that makes the tragedy coming his way painful to watch.

Together as a couple, Leah and Benji document their world: getting...

A feature film debut for directors Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers

UK-based sales outfit Parkland Pictures has acquired worldwide sales rights (excluding UK) to A Brixton Tale, which had its world premiere at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival.

It is the first feature film from commercials director Darragh Carey and music video director Bertrand Desrochers.

The cast features Lily Newmark (Misbehaviour), Ola Orebiyi (Limbo) and Craige Middleburg (The Batman) alongside former Screen Stars of Tomorrow Jaime Winstone and Barney Harris.

Dennis Gyamfi and Beau Rambaut are producers with Rupert Baynham, who also wrote the screenplay with Chi Mai. The project was written,...

Vikash Bhai (left) stars as “Farhad” and Amir El-Masry (right) stars as “Omar” in director Ben Sharrock’s Limbo, a Focus Features release. Cr. Courtesy of Colin Tennant / Focus Features

A young Syrian musician and a motley collection of other refugees wait on a remote Scottish island while the British government decides their asylum claims, in writer/director Ben Sharrock’s wry funny, poignant Limbo. Limbo paints a dryly comic, often absurdist tale of life in limbo, but it also takes us to unexpected places, just as their journey took to them to this unlikely spot.

Limbo features excellent direction, a tightly-crafted script, fine performances and stunning photography of the harsh, windswept island landscape. This smart, well-crafted film, both funny and touching, was a BAFTA nominee and a winner at the British Independent Film Awards and the Cairo International Film Festival.

The British government has sent this group of refugees to a distant,...

"One wrong step and they will deport us." Focus Features has revealed the official US trailer for an indie trailer for Limbo, the latest from filmmaker Ben Sharrock (of Pikadero previously). This was selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but premiered later at the Toronto & London & Zurich Film Festival in the fall last year. Nominated two times at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, Sharrock's Limbo is a "wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience." Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, this follows a group of new arrivals as they await the results of their asylum claims. Amir El-Masry stars as Omar, a Syrian musician hoping to start his new life in the UK. The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif. This one opens in the US first in theaters in April...

A favorite at Toronto International Film Festival last fall (where it premiered following being selected for Cannes), Ben Sharrock’s BAFTA-nominated drama Limbo takes a wry and poignant look at the refugee experience in a fictional remote Scottish island. Now set to arrive in the U.S. on April 30 via Focus Features and in the U.K. and Ireland on July 30 via Mubi, the latter have released the first trailer, which suggests it could be a strong double feature pairing with Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope.

Jared Mobarak said in his Tff review, “What begins as a modest and perhaps slight take on the refugee crisis tinged by an acquired yet welcome taste of British comedy, however, slowly reveals its underlying drama via the stark inevitability of its existence. You can only deflect from your plight so long before the stress and anxiety bubbles back to the surface.

"How long have you been waiting?" Mubi in the UK has released the first UK trailer for an acclaimed indie titled Limbo, the latest from filmmaker Ben Sharrock (of Pikadero previously). This was selected for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, but premiered later at the Toronto & London & Zurich Film Festival in the fall last year. Nominated for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, Sharrock's Limbo is a "wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience." Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, this follows a group of new arrivals as they await the results of their asylum claims. Amir El-Masry stars as Omar, a Syrian musician hoping to start his new life in the UK. The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif. This looks like something truly special,...

Focus Features will release Ben Sharrock’s two-time BAFTA nominated Limbo on Friday, April 30 in limited theaters.

The pic is a wry and poignant observation of the refugee experience, set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. Limbo received two BAFTA noms for Best British Film and Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.

Sharrock spent time working for an Ngo in refugee camps in southern Algeria and living in Damascus in 2009 shortly before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. There, he formed a network of friends whose personal stories inspired the film he wrote and directed.

Limbo stars Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager), along with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi,...

Mubi holds UK distribution rights.

Focus Features has set an April 30 limited US theatrical release date for Ben Sharrock’s Bafta-nominated immigrant drama Limbo.

The studio acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand last month. Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi holds rights.

Sharrock’s Cannes Label selection is nominated at the Baftas for outstanding British film and outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.

Amir El-Masry stars as a young Syrian musician on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.

The cast includes Vikash Bhai,...

For their first feature, A Brixton Tale, filmmaking team Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers set themselves a trap. It’s a film about filmmaking ethics—who gets to tell which stories, and where is the line between artistic expression and exploitation? By asking those questions, the Irish Carey and Québécois Desrochers put themselves under the microscope, too, in their depiction of a housing estate in rapidly gentrifying Brixton. They preempt those criticisms with a title card at the beginning that reads, “Made in collaboration with the community,” and yet I still can’t shake the feeling that A Brixton Tale is made with an outsider’s gaze––not because it’s exploitative, but because it’s generic. It’s a film that plays it too safe, sanding off the thorny edges of its characters to make something tiresomely morally straightforward.

The story is centered on a romance between Benji, a Black Brixtoner,...

There's a nervy energy to this feature debut from Darragh Carrey and Betrand Desrochers, who show a flair for visual storytelling even if the narrative ultimately treads a predictable path. Visuals are at the heart of this tale, which is partly seen through the lens of white young blogger Ophelia (Lily Newmark), who it turns out is a "proper rich girl".

She masks this to a degree behind a permanent pout, by shortening her name to Leah and hanging about the street with her camera, where she is particularly drawn to black teenager Benji (Ola Orebiyi) and his mates. She could almost be a modern-day incarnation of Joanna Hogg's Julie (The Souvenir), encouraged by her gallery mentor Tilda (Jaime Winstone) to be on the lookout for poverty porn - although she would probably call it "edge". Friendship and romance begin to crackle between Leah and Benji and initially there's some.

Asylum drama has won prizes at Cairo and Macao.

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to Ben Sharrock’s Bafta longlisted festival winner and Cannes Label asylum seeker drama Limbo.

Universal Pictures International will release internationally except in the UK, where Mubi will distribute. Focus acquired rights from Protagonist Pictures.

Sharrock wrote the screenplay about a young Syrian musician (Bifa nominee Amir El-Masry) on a fictitious Scottish island awaiting the outcome of his asylum application.

The cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, and Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Kais Nashif

Irune Gurtubai...

Exclusive: Focus Features has taken worldwide rights, excluding the UK & Ire and Australia/Nz, to Cannes and TIFF 2020 selection Limbo.

Writer-director Ben Sharrock’s (Pikadero) well-received sophomore feature about the refugee experience is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where a group of new arrivals await the results of their asylum claims. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.

BIFA-nominee Amir El-Masry (The Night Manager) stars in the drama which also scored BIFA nominations for Breakthrough Producer, Best Cinematography and Best Casting. Festival play also included San Sebastian, where it won the Youth Jury Award, and the BFI London Film Festival where it was runner-up for the Audience Award.

Supporting cast includes Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen) and Kais Nashif (Tel Aviv On Fire).

Sharrock...

As with most festivals in a pandemic world, Slamdance Film Festival is changing things up with their 2021 edition. Moving a few weeks back to February 12-25, no longer directly competing with Sundance Film Festival, the festival will be taking place primarily virtually. In quite a feat of accessibility, a full festival pass is also now available for free––if you secure yours by December 31st. After that, they are going up to $10, which is still a steal.

The festival has also announced its full lineup, with 25 features along with 107 shorts and episodic. Films, Q&As, and panels will be available on Slamdance.com, AppleTV, Roku, Firestick, and YouTube, while in-person events will take place in Joshua Tree with drive-ins open to the public on February 13th and 14th as well as the closing night screening at a Los Angeles drive-in on February 25.

Check out the lineup below and reserve your festival pass here.

Remember film festivals? Especially in person ones? Well, they won’t be returning for a bit, but 2021 will still be filled with festivals, just of the mostly virtual variety. One such fest is the Slamdance Film Festival, which has in the past taken place alongside the Sundance Film Festival. Scheduled for February 12th until the 25th, Slamdance is taking the hybrid route, making their selections available virtually. The lineup was announced today, so the first real movie gathering of next year (from the comfort of our own homes) is now known. Read on to see the lineup, as well as a bit about what will be populating Slamdance… Here now is the 2021 Slamdance Film Festival lineup, via a Deadline press release: Narrative Features A Brixton Tale World Premiere Directors: Darragh Carey & Bertrand Desrochers – Screenwriters: Rupert Baynham, Darragh Carey, Chi Mai – Producers: Rupert Baynham, Dennis Gyamfi, Beau Rambaut A voyeuristic, wealthy...

Like all festivals, the Slamdance Film Festival is set to shift to a hybrid fest for its 27th edition — but it isn’t holding back on its programming as it will feature 20 feature film premieres while highlighting diverse voices and accessibility. With the theme “Greenlight Yourself,” the indie-driven fest will also launch a new program titled Unstoppable, a showcase for creators with disabilities.

The fest will run February 12-25, 2021 with all films, Q&As and panels available virtually via Slamdance.com, AppleTV, Roku, Firestick, and YouTube. In addition, there will be a two-night drive-in presentation in Joshua Tree, CA open to the public on February 13-14 as well as the closing-night screening at a Los Angeles drive-in on February 25.

“Our theme this year was inspired by the incredible resilience and creativity evidenced by our community and our team over the past few unprecedented months,” said Slamdance president and co-founder Peter Baxter.

The Slamdance Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of 25 features along with 107 shorts and episodics for the mostly virtual 27th edition of the festival — a number that equals previous editions of the festival.

The opening night film, which will screen at a drive-in in Joshua Tree on Feb. 13, is the world premiere of “No Trace” (Nulle Trace) from Canadian director and screenwriter Simon Lavoie. Taking place in a near future, the film follows a callous smuggler hardened by life who guides a pious young woman and her child across the border to safety, unaware that their destinies are inescapably linked in an inhospitable land.

The festival will close with the world premiere screening of “18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story” at a Los Angeles drive-in on Feb. 25. The feature documentary by Stephen DeBro is the story of Los Angeles told through the prism of a historic fight palace and Aileen Eaton,...

Two Africans, an Afghan, and a Syrian walk onto a remote island in Scotland. The punch line potential is infinite. Writer/director Ben Sharrock knows it too as he places them all in the same cramped apartment with a “Refugees Welcome” banner outside so they can argue about the merits of Ross and Rachel’s “break” courtesy of a burned Friends box set left behind by whomever lived there last. Add an eccentric cultural awareness course led by a duo in Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Boris (Kenneth Collard) who teach sexual harassment by having the former smack the latter’s intentionally handsy dance partner in the face and you’ll find yourself mimicking the class of foreigners watching in stunned silence thanks to the dryly humorous mix of confusion and horror.

Sharrock’s Limbo is very British in this way despite its multi-cultural cast of strangers in a very strange land.

Protagonist is handling worldwide sales.

Mubi has acquired UK and Irish rights to Ben Sharrock’s Cannes 2020 selection Limbo, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Toronto later this month.

The company has picked up theatrical and streaming rights in the territory from Protagonist Pictures, handling world sales. Film4, which financed and developed the feature with Creative Scotland and the BFI, retains UK free TV broadcast rights.

Limbo is set on a fictional remote Scottish island where refugee arrivals await the result of their asylum claims. It centres on a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his...

Film now shooting in Scotland.

London-based sales outfit Protagonist Pictures has taken world rights to Ben Sharrock’s refugee drama Limbo, that is now shooting in Scotland.

The film is Sharrock’s second feature after Pikadero, which won the Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2016.

Limbo stars Amir El-Masry, whose credits include Jack Ryan, with Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Kwabena Ansah, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Kais Nashif in a story set on a fictional Scottish island where refugees are waiting to be granted asylum. The film also features non-actors, including refugees, in small roles.

The film...