News

Iginio Straffi, creator of the six teenage fairies in the hit “Winx Club” TV franchise, is launching a new animated series titled “Mermaid Magic” that will drop globally on Netflix on Aug. 22.

Created and produced by Straffi’s Italy-based Rainbow studio, “Mermaid Magic” is penned by U.S. head writers Rich Burns and Nancy Cohen, known for their work on DreamWorks Animation’s “Spirit Riding Free,” and showrunner Guy Bar’ely, whose credits include “Minions” and “Kung Fu Panda.”

The CG-animated series is produced by Rainbow and its Canada-based VFX animation studio Bardel.

Set in the underwater world of Mertropia, “Mermaid Magic” follow the adventures of “warrior mermaids” Princess Merlinda and her inseparable friends Sasha and Nerissa who emerge from the sea and embark on an epic journey to battle the wicked pirate Barbarossa, “who is draining the ocean’s magic,” as the provided synopsis puts it. “The series provides a dazzling blend of magic,...

Sometimes in order to do a lot of bad, you have to do a little good. That’s the premise behind “The Bad Guys” upcoming holiday special, “The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday.” The 22-minute installment will land on Netflix November 30.

Set prior to the events of the 2022 movie, the special follows the Bad Guys just ahead of their favorite day of the year: Christmas morning. While everyone’s opening presents, it’s the perfect time for a city-wide holiday heist. But that can’t happen when Christmas is unexpectedly cancelled. Faced with the possibility of potentially not committing mass crimes, this crew of baddies has to do the unthinkable and save Christmas by becoming stand-in Santas.

“Let’s go do some good so we can be bad,” Wolf (Michael Godere) says in the trailer.

The 22-minute special is directed by Bret Haaland, who previously worked on other DreamWorks...

Variety‘s 10 Animators to Watch will be honored this year during an hour-long panel presented by Nickelodeon. The discussion will celebrate the up-and-coming talent in the industry and present Variety‘s annual Creative Impact in Animation award to “Book of Life” and “Maya and the Three” animator Jorge Gutiérrez.

The panel discussion is taking place today, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. Pt/ 7 p.m. Et on both the Nick Animation and Variety YouTube channels. It will feature the work of Variety‘s 10 Animators to Watch and Gutiérrez, and will explore the future of animation.

Variety‘s 10 Animators to Watch are Elaine Bogan (“Spirit Riding Free”); Myke Chilian (“Tig ‘n Seek”); L.C. Crowley, Brandon Barr and Greg Jonkajtys (“The Liberator”); Aminder Dhaliwal (“Woman World”); Tiffany Ford (“Craig of the Creek”); Brittany Myers (“Over the Moon”); Amanda Qian Li (“Tangled: The Series”); John Trabbic III (“SpongeBob SquarePants”); Genevieve Tsai (“Animaniacs”) and Anne Walker Farrell...

Jennifer Msumba took the best-film prize for her “The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains” at the seventh annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, which streamed live Aug. 13. Scott Michael Klumb (“Autism Ability”) nabbed the award for editing, while Rachel Handler was saluted for creating the best awareness campaign for the healthcare-themed “How Much Am I Worth?”

This year, there were a record 87 films submitted, a big jump from the 71 last year. The event was termed “Home Edition,” with films made “from the safety of your home,” said Challenge founder Nic Novicki, who served as the event’s host.

Participating teams had one weekend to write, shoot and edit a three-to-five-minute documentary short, with someone with disabilities behind or in front of the camera. In the past, each filmmaker was assigned the same genre to work in, such as sci-fi last year. Due to Covid, the rules were changed this...

The latest wave of Universal’s Composers Initiative to promote the advancement of women and people of color as film composers has opened its application period Wednesday, and the studio has released a highlight reel of some of the alums of the program who have already gotten jobs through the initiative.

The Universal Composers Initiative was created in 2018 in response to data that showed less than 3% of all film composers were women and people of color film composers were virtually non-existent in Hollywood.

In a new video teasing the success of the program, it was revealed that composer Amie Doherty, who scored Focus’ “The High Note” and a “Jurassic World” short called “Battle at Big Rock,” was hired to score an upcoming DreamWorks Animation film “Spirit Riding Free,” set to release on May 14, 2021.

Also Read: How 'Joker' Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir Used 'Macho Chords' to Get Inside the Character's Head

Further,...

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group has opened submissions for its 2021 composers initiative, a program designed to seek and amplify rising talent in the entertainment industry.

Universal’s Composers Initiative, created in 2018 by the Global Talent Development and Inclusion Department, looks for aspiring artists from all creative and professional backgrounds at various points in their music production careers. Though initially created as a one-year program, the Composers Initiative has expanded to two years in an effort to increase the amount of potential opportunities for participants.

For the studio, the goal is for participants to build key industry relations and eventually work on projects for Universal. Already, its alumni have seen success. Amie Doherty, a recent graduate of the Composers Initiative, will be composing DreamWorks Animation’s “Spirit Riding Free,” a feature film that’s due out in 2021. She also scored the Focus Features romantic comedy “The High Note” and Colin Trevarrow’s...

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (Ufeg)’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion (Gtdi) has officially opened submissions for its yearly Composers Initiative. Applications will be accepted starting today through August 23.

Gtdi teamed with Universal’s Film Music department for the Composers Initiative which was launched in 2018. The first of its kind, the Initiative set out to identify up-and-coming and novice talent at various points of their creative journeys for music production opportunities across the Studio and its wide industry network. The Composers Initiative comes at a time when the Hollywood landscape demands more representation from underrepresented voices in front of and behind the camera. The Initiative seeks to find artists from both traditional and unconventional backgrounds that possess unique, global perspectives they can translate into distinctive musical expressions.

The Initiative was originally a one-year program launched with DreamWorks Animation and has since been upped to two years. Participants will now be exposed...

Live-action film production as we know it, from Jurassic World: Dominion to The Batman, remains shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, with myriad headaches involved in figuring out how exactly to return, from the possible elimination of group extras to paring down crew sizes.

But throughout this entire Covid-19 Hollywood halt, feature animation production has remained full-steam ahead, with a consistent workflow sans stoppages.

For studios and streamers looking to reap profits off the shelter-at-home crowd, finished live-action movies are gold, and so are animated movies. Any fresh marquee title is ripe to tame any wiry, shut-in child who has watched Frozen 2 on Disney+ too many times. Of course, immediate proof of this are Universal’s $100 million Premium VOD U.S. riches from DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour, which premiered in homes over Easter weekend. Observing those fireworks from the sidelines, Warner Bros decided to move its...

In today’s film news roundup, DreamWorks Animation hires a Sony vet, indie comedy “Kombucha Cure” gets cast, “Siempre, Luis” gets sold and Women In Film names new board members.

Acquisition

HBO has acquired worldwide television and streaming rights to the documentary feature film “Siempre, Luis,” which had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

First-time filmmaker John James’ film is a portrait of Luis A. Miranda Jr., a Puerto Rican migrant who helped shape New York politics for over three decades. He’s also the father of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“My first film started as the story of a tireless migrant who built an extraordinary legacy,” said James. “Yet, as I followed Luis Miranda over a lengthy period of time, I couldn’t have imagined that he would see his native Puerto Rico face catastrophic crisis just as our mainland is thrown into bitter political upheaval. We’re excited...

Warner Bros. has once again put plans to make a live-action version of the classic anime film “Akira” on hold, removing it from their release slate and giving its summer 2021 release spot to the untitled fourth installment of “The Matrix.”

“Matrix 4” will now be released on May 21, 2021, with original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss returning along with co-creator Lana Wachowski. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Neil Patrick Harris will also star in the film, with Abdul-Mateen and Henwick playing lead roles.

Also Read: 'Iron Fist' Star Jessica Henwick in Talks to Join 'Matrix 4'

Warner Bros. first acquired the rights to adapt “Akira” back in 2002, but the project has been in development hell ever since. “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Jojo Rabbit” director Taika Waititi had been set to start production on the film this summer, but put plans on hold in order to direct a sequel to “Ragnarok.

As Christmas nears, Netflix will ring in this holiday season with new Kris Kringle-themed films including “A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish,” “Home for Christmas” and “A Family Reunion Christmas.”

Tiffany Haddish, meanwhile, will be celebrating Hanukkah with her newest stand-up special “Black Mitzvah,” in which she shares how she’s embracing her roots after discovering her father’s Eritrean-Jewish heritage.

Kevin Hart’s new special also hits Netflix this month. His docu-series “Don’t F**k This Up” will highlight his Oscar hosting controversy, as well as his daily life.

Acclaimed movies like Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” with Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, along with “Two Popes,” are also joining the streamer in December. On the TV front, Season 2 of “You” starring Penn Badgley arrives on Netflix just after Christmas.

View the complete list below:

Dec. 1

Dead Kids

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl...

Launched by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen as DreamWorks in 1994, DreamWorks Animation celebrates its silver anniversary, marking 25 years since embarking on its first voyage with the Academy Award-nominated biblical epic “The Prince of Egypt.”

Since then, DreamWorks Animation has released 38 feature films, including the blockbuster “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Trolls” franchises and its newest release, “Abominable.” Earning more than $15 billion at the global box office, DreamWorks has received a multitude of accolades over its history, including three Oscars and three Academy Sci-Tech Awards.

Women have long been in the spotlight at DreamWorks Animation, well known for promoting female talent within their ranks to leadership roles. Here, six female directors share their memories of working at the studio during its first quarter century: Lorna Cook, Vicky Jenson, Elaine Bogan, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Brenda Chapman, and Jill Culton.

Lorna Cook

Animator-director

For Cook,...

It didn’t take us long to get to this point, when streaming and theatrical transformed into a metaphorical ouroboros eating its own tail. DreamWorks has achieved that feat with its announcement of a Spirit Riding Free movie, based on the successful Netflix series of the same name, itself based on the 2002 DreamWorks theatrical movie Spirit: Stallion of the […]

The post ‘Spirit Riding Free’: DreamWorks Announces Theatrical Film Based on Netflix Spin-Off of ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ appeared first on /Film.

DreamWorks Animation has added two more feature toons to its 2021 slate, the Untitled Spirit Riding Free movie based on its Netflix series on May 14, and The Bad Guys on September 17 based on Aaron Blabey’s bestselling Scholastic book series. This raises the Glendale studio’s release count for that year to three titles, the other being The Boss Baby 2 on March 26, 2021. Spooky Jack, previously dated for September 17, 2021, is now unset. The global distribution of Dwa titles is overseen by Universal.

Spirit Riding Free‘s origins go back to the 2002 Oscar-nominated movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron ($122.5M global box office). In 2017, that feature was reimagined by DreamWorks Animation Television as a Netflix original series, Spirit Riding Free, thus igniting interest in the IP among a new generation of young girls.

The new pic will follow headstrong Lucky Prescott, who is forced to move from her big-city home to a small frontier town,...

Universal and DreamWorks Animation announced two new animated films for theatrical release in 2021.

“Spirit Riding Free” will arrive on the big screen on May 14, 2021, while “The Bad Guys” is set to debut on Sept. 17, 2021. The latter will replace “Spooky Jack,” a cartoon from the Universal-owned Blumhouse that the studio took off its release calendar.

The still-untitled “Spirit Riding Free” is based on the DreamWorks Animation Television series on Netflix, which itself was inspired by the 2002 Oscar-nominated film “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.” The animated adventure continues the story about an unbreakable bond between a girl and her wild horse. The Netflix series consists of 52 episodes so far with more content on the way this fall and in 2020. Elaine Bogan is directing the film and “How to Train Your Dragon” co-producer Karen Foster will produce.

“The Bad Guys,” adapted from Aaron Blabey’s best-selling book series, centers on legendary heist masterminds who,...

DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures are in the works on animated films based on the TV series “Spirit Riding Free” and “The Bad Guys” book series, both of which are set to be released in 2021, the studios announced on Monday.

The untitled “Spirit Riding Free” film, based on the Netflix original series from DreamWorks Animation Television, will open wide on May 14, 2021. “The Bad Guys,” based on the 10-book children’s series from author Aaron Blabey, will open on Sept. 17, 2021.

“The Bad Guys” will take the spot of “Spooky Jack,” a collaboration between DreamWorks and Blumhouse, which is now unset.

Also Read: All 36 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

“Spirit Riding Free” follows the unbreakable bond between a free-spirited girl and her wild stallion companion. The show has run for 52 episodes since May 2017, all of which are available on Netflix, and more episodes and content are on the...

Frontier adventures and bad guys trying to be good will come to the big screen in two new Universal and DreamWorks Animation pics scheduled for 2021. 

An as-yet untitled feature, based on DreamWorks Animation's Netflix series Spirit Riding Free, will follow an epic adventure of a little girl in a small frontier town who forms an unbreakable bond with a wild mustang named Spirit. The two embark on a rescue mission when Spirit's herd is captured. The Netflix effort was inspired by the 2002 animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, voiced by Matt Damon.

The film will be ...

Frontier adventures and bad guys trying to be good will come to the big screen in two new Universal and DreamWorks Animation pics scheduled for 2021. 

An as-yet untitled feature, based on DreamWorks Animation's Netflix series Spirit Riding Free, will follow an epic adventure of a little girl in a small frontier town who forms an unbreakable bond with a wild mustang named Spirit. The two embark on a rescue mission when Spirit's herd is captured. The Netflix effort was inspired by the 2002 animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, voiced by Matt Damon.

The film will be ...

The upcoming Netflix series Archibald’s Next Big Thing from Tony Hale and DreamWorks Animation has set their voice cast which includes Hale as the titular Archibald Stutter along with Rosamund Pike, Adam Pally, Chelsea Kane, Jordan Fisher and Kari Wahlgren. The animated series is slated to debut later this year on Netflix.

Created and executive produced by Hale, Archibald’s Next Big Thing is inspired by the children’s book from Hale, Tony Biaggne and Victor Huckabee. The story follows the adventures of Archibald Strutter, a simple chicken who “yes-ands” his way through life. Though living in the moment often leads him astray, Archibald always finds his way back home. Archibald’s Next Big Thing is a fresh comedy about one chicken’s joy for life and celebrating the journey, not just the destination.

Adam Pally (The Mindy Project) will voice “Sage,” Archibald’s older brother who adores the...

Veteran Sony Pictures executive Randy Lake has joined DreamWorks Animation as chief operating officer.

Lake will start at DreamWorks Animation in July. In his new role, he will be responsible for strategic planning and primary business operations, including feature and television production, post production, business and legal affairs, finance and technology.

“As we solidify our leadership team, Randy provides a strong strategic vision that will be beneficial to the entire studio as we partner in taking DreamWorks into the future,” said Margie Cohn, DreamWorks Animation president. “His years of experience working cross-divisionally will allow us to expand upon the successful collaboration between our film and television divisions, as well as with our colleagues at Universal, furthering DreamWorks position as one of the most prolific animation studios in the world.”

Lake most recently served as president of studio operations and Imageworks at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he oversaw all operations, strategy,...

Randy Lake will join DreamWorks Animation as its new chief operating officer starting in July, the studio on announced on Wednesday.

Lake moves to DreamWorks after a 13-year stint at Sony Pictures. In his new role, Lake will oversee DreamWorks’ strategic planning and primary business operations, including feature and TV production, post-production, business and legal affairs, finance and technology. The appointment was made by DreamWorks Animation president Margie Cohn.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Margie and her passionate and talented team and look forward to this opportunity to build upon DreamWorks’ storied legacy during such an exciting time at the studio,” Lake said in a statement.

Also Read: DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn Reorganizes Creative Ranks, Appoints New Executives

Lake’s move to the Universal-owned DreamWorks follows Amy Pascal who moved her production shingle from Sony to Universal earlier this month.

DreamWorks and Universal have been taking steps in...

The CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless” led all shows in wins at the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were handed out on Friday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The series won five awards, to four for Amazon Prime Video’s “After Forever” and Baobab Studios’ “Crown: The Legend.” Three awards each went to “Days of Our Lives,” “Sesame Street,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Talk.”

CBS was the leading network, with 12 wins, to 10 for Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and PBS.

Also Read: Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'Days of Our Lives,' 'General Hospital' Lead Nominees

The show is a precursor to the Daytime Emmy Awards, which will take place on Sunday, May 5.

Here is the list of winning shows. The full list of individual winners in each category can be found at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website.

Rideback, Dan Lin’s production company, and Mrc have announced the inaugural class of writers and mentors for their TV incubator.

The new TV writers residency program, which was launched in February, offers a paid, eight-month residency program to a group of writers who have each previously been staffed on series and want to create their own drama series for cable and streaming. The writers are paired with experienced showrunners and/or executive producers who act as mentors.

The goal of the new venture is to creatively and financially support TV writers from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences, and for each participant to generate a market-ready, straight-to-series project.

The first class writers of will be comprised of Iden Baghdadchi (“Marvel’s Agents of Shield”), Brian Buccellato, Jalysa Conway & Rebecca Murga, Desta Tedros Reff (“Sorry For Your Loss”), Jovan Robinson (“The Code”), Susan Cohen & Sydnie Suskind (“How to...

The Rideback TV Incubator, the new inclusion-focused writers program launched in February by Dan Lin’s Rideback and Mrc, has selected its writers and mentors for the inaugural 2019 session.

The incubator, whose core mission is to creatively and financially support writers from different backgrounds as they create their own series for cable or streaming services, is an eight-month paid program aimed at TV writers who have previously been staffed on series and want to create their own dramatic show.

The goal is to create a market-ready, straight-to-series project, which if they go forward will be produced by Rideback with financing and other support by Mrc, which is providing funding for the program. Rideback and Mrc will jointly bring projects to market, with an option of adding other elements. The writers will be set as executive producer/writers and mentors as non-writing executive producers.

This year’s list of writers: Iden Baghdadchi...

Two months after Mrc teamed with prolific producer Dan Lin and his production company Rideback for a TV incubator, the inaugural 2019 session has found its writers and mentors.

Eight writers (or writing teams) were selected for the inclusion-focused program from more than 200 applicants. The lucky scribes are Iden Baghdadchi (Agents of Shield), Brian Buccellato (The Flash, Batman), Jalysa Conway and Rebecca Murga (Grey’s Anatomy, The Letter), Desta Tedros Reff (Sorry for Your Loss), Jovan Robinson (The Code), Susan Cohen and Sydnie Suskind (How to Beat Your Sister-in-Law (at everything)), Robert Taylor (Spirit Riding Free) and ...

Baobab Studios, the Vr startup best known for its 2016 animated short “Invasion,” has won 2 Daytime Emmys for outstanding individual achievements in animation for its latest Vr short “Crow: The Legend,” the Television Academy announced Wednesday morning. Baobab character designer Kal Athannassov won the individual achievement award for character design, while Baobab art designer Cody Gramstad was recognized for production design.

The startup won the two Emmys alongside 2 outstanding individual achievement awards in animation given to Disney Channel, as well as one each to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

“We are just really honored to be recognized alongside so many companies that we love and look up to,” said Baobab CEO Maureen Fan in an interview with Variety. “We are proud of Baobab’s passionate and dedicated artists and engineers who have pushed the artistry of using real-time rendering, and enormously gratified by these Emmy wins.”

So why do the Emmys...

It’s been a quite day in the animation world.

First the hiring of former Walt Disney/Pixar boss John Lasseter to run Skydance Animation, which received an immediate backlash from Time’s Up and Women and Hollywood over the executive’s sexual harassment history. Now Universal said this afternoon that DreamWorks Animation Group president Chris deFaria, after two years in the position, is exiting the studio in the coming months.

In his place, Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley has promoted Dwa TV president Margie Cohn, who will now oversee both film and television operations. The news comes in the wake of the overseas launch of one of Dwa’s prized blockbuster and award-winning franchises, the threequel How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The pic opens stateside on February 22. It’s the studio’s first release since 2017’s Captain Underpants, which was made for $38M and grossed $125.5M worldwide.

Former president of DreamWorks Feature Animation Group Chris deFaria to depart in coming months.

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group on Wednesday (9) announced that Margie Cohn has been named president of DreamWorks Animation (Dwa), effective immediately.

Cohn, who previously served as president of DreamWorks Animation Television, will now oversee both film and television operations, reporting to Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley.

Chris deFaria, who previously served as president of DreamWorks Feature Animation Group, will depart the company in the coming months following the global release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. deFaria joined in 2017 and played an instrumental role...

Netflix is getting into business with Vin Diesel and the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The streaming company and DreamWorks Animation Television have announced a “Fast & Furious” animated series that will serve as a spinoff to the hugely successful live-action film franchise. The show will be the latest collaboration between the two studios after “Trollhunters,” “Spirit Riding Free,” and “All Hail King Julien,” among other titles.

The “Fast & Furious” animated series will center around Tony Toretto, the younger cousin of Vin Diesel’s Dom. Tony and his friends are recruited by a government agency to infiltrate an elite racing league that involves a crime organization bent on world domination. The series will be executive produced by Vin Diesel, Neal Moritz and Chris Morgan, who all serve as producers on the live-action “Fast & Furious” franchise.

“We are thrilled to take our fantastic partnership with DreamWorks Animation to the next...

After eight go-rounds on the the big screen, the “Fast & Furious” franchise is zooming to your TV, courtesy of Netflix.

The streaming service announced Monday that it has handed a straight-to-series order to an animated show based on the popular flicks starring Vin Diesel, as part of their overall multi-year deal for original animated kids and family programming with DreamWorks Animation Television and Universal Pictures.

Here is the show’s logline: Teenager Tony Toretto follows in the footsteps of his cousin Dom when he and his friends are recruited by a government agency to infiltrate an elite racing league serving as a front for a nefarious crime organization bent on world domination.

Also Read: Netflix Exec Ted Sarandos Made 19 Percent More in 2017 vs Prior Year

Tim Hedrick (DreamWorks’ “Voltron Legendary Defender”) and Bret Haaland (“All Hail King Julien”) will serve as executive producers and showrunners on the series. Diesel, Neal Moritz and Chris Morgan, who produce the live-action multi-billion dollar Universal franchise, are also serving as executive producers.

This new order is the latest in a five year relationship between Netflix, DreamWorks Animation and Universal that has seen 14 original series debut on the streaming service, including DreamWorks’ “Trollhunters” from Guillermo del Toro, DreamWorks’ “Spirit Riding Free” and “All Hail King Julien,” with an additional four series slated to debut on Netflix in 2018.

“We are thrilled to take our fantastic partnership with DreamWorks Animation to the next level with new opportunities from the vast library of Universal Pictures,” said Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids and Family at Netflix. “The ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise is a global phenomenon beloved by audiences of all ages, and we can’t wait to get started on the new animated series that will capture the action, heart, humor and global appeal of the feature films.”

Also Read: Vin Diesel Closes Deal to Star in Sony's 'Bloodshot'

“We are excited to extend and expand our successful relationship with Netflix by not only delivering more high-quality DreamWorks programming, but connecting fans of Universal films with fascinating new stories,” said Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation Television. “Our new home at Universal marks an exciting new chapter for storytelling at our studio, and ‘Fast & Furious’ is only the beginning.”

Read original story ‘Fast and the Furious’ Animated TV Series Heads to Netflix At TheWrap...

An animated “Fast & Furious” series has been ordered at Netflix. The series is the first under an expansion of the company’s ongoing multi-year deal with DreamWorks Animation Television.

In the series, teenager Tony Toretto follows in the footsteps of his cousin Dom when he and his friends are recruited by a government agency to infiltrate an elite racing league serving as a front for a nefarious crime organization bent on world domination.

“We are excited to extend and expand our successful relationship with Netflix by not only delivering more high-quality DreamWorks programming, but connecting fans of Universal films with fascinating new stories,” said Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation Television. “Our new home at Universal marks an exciting new chapter for storytelling at our studio, and Fast & Furious is only the beginning.”

Tim Hedrick, who wrote for DreamWorks’ “Voltron: Legendary Defender” series, and Bret Haaland, who has...