EXCLUSIVE: Actress, writer, and producer Diarra Kilpatrick has signed an overall deal with BET for its BET Studios division. As part of the deal, BET+ ordered 8 episodes of the straight-to-series project Diarra From Detroit . Each 1-hour episode of the dark comedy follows a divorcing schoolteacher with an acerbic sense of humor who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. Production is currently wrapping up on Diarra From Detroit , which is slated to premiere later in 2023. “We are so excited to partner with Diarra. She represents the next generation of content creators, boldly embracing the role of a multi-hyphenate as a writer, actress, and producer,” said Aisha Summers Burke, Executive Vice President, and General Manager, BET Studios. “With a unique and authentic voice, Diarra’s storytelling is fearless, funny, and subversive. We are … [Read more...] about Diarra Kilpatrick Strikes Overall Deal With BET, Lands Straight-To-Series Order For Dark Comedy At BET+
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‘Pokemon Detective Pikachu’ Grabs $58M In ‘Endgame’ Dominated Universe; Marvel Pic 3rd Highest Domestic With $723M+ – Sunday Update
Sunday AM Update/writethru: Following Saturday 7:28AM post, with final : Warner Bros./Legendary’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu is coming in ahead of its $50M-$55M domestic tracking with a $58M No. 2 opening being called by the studio. They excelled with the first Pokemon movie back in 1999 with a $31M launch, and they’ve done even better with this updated live-action hybrid comedy close to 20 years later. It’s a great comeback for Legendary on the Burbank lot after its five-year deal at Universal. When Detective Pikachu jumped to Warner Bros. last July , it was a sign that Legendary, which was behind such Warner Bros. successes as the Dark Knight and Godzilla franchises, was coming back. Smart dating here on behalf of Warner Bros.: They waited for Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame to calm down, going two weekends after the summer juggernaut, which, as of this morning, continued to top the box office with its third No. 1 in a row, an estimated $63.1M . … [Read more...] about ‘Pokemon Detective Pikachu’ Grabs $58M In ‘Endgame’ Dominated Universe; Marvel Pic 3rd Highest Domestic With $723M+ – Sunday Update
Apple Considering Bid For English Soccer Streaming Rights — Report
Apple is said to be interested in bidding for the rights to broadcast English soccer games, according to a new report published this morning. The report, found in Bloomberg, states that the rights currently under consideration at Apple would allow the company to broadcast games from the Premier League , the highest level of English soccer, alongside games from the lower-ranked English Football League. Deadline has reached out to Apple for comment on the matter. The move would expand the company’s global soccer coverage following its $2.5B, 10-year deal with Major League Soccer to stream games from the US-based league. The MLS deal was one of the biggest sports streaming deals in history. Apple also recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball and broadcasts live Baseball games on AppleTV+ every Friday alongside pre and postgame shows available across the world without local broadcast restrictions. The English Football League is offering the rights to seasons … [Read more...] about Apple Considering Bid For English Soccer Streaming Rights — Report
Robin Thede Developing HBO Comedy Series ‘Disengagement’
HBO is developing the new comedy series Disengagement from writer and executive producer Robin Thede ( A Black Lady Sketch Show ). The half-hour project comes after Thede who signed a three-year overall deal in May 2022 to develop projects for HBO , HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Television. Disengagement centers on the prestigious Cole family after a very public and embarrassing business implosion shattered their perfect Midwest image. And it was just an image, because, behind closed doors, even their dysfunction has dysfunction, proving family is the ultimate pyramid scheme. Thede will serve as writer and executive producer of the series; Meghan Cheek will produce through Thede’s production company, For Better or Words, Inc. Thede is a comedian, writer, actor, and producer. Five-time Emmy-nominee, Thede is the creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer, and star of HBO’s sketch comedy series, A Black Lady Sketch Show . A Black Lady Sketch Show is the … [Read more...] about Robin Thede Developing HBO Comedy Series ‘Disengagement’
‘Wind River: The Next Chapter’ Adds Gil Birmingham, Alan Ruck, Kali Reis & Tatanka Means
EXCLUSIVE : Wind River alum Gil Birmingham has closed a deal to return for Castle Rock Entertainment ’s sequel , with Alan Ruck ( Succession ), Kali Reis ( Catch the Fair One ) and Tatanka Means ( Killers of the Flower Moon ) also joining the cast. The film, which is in production in Calgary with Kari Skogland ( The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ) at the helm, also will see the return of Wind River original Martin Sensmeier, with Jason Clarke, Scott Eastwood and Chaske Spencer rounding out the ensemble. Written and directed by Oscar-nominated Yellowstone Universe architect Taylor Sheridan, the acclaimed 2017 crime drama Wind River watched as the veteran hunter Corey Lambert ( Jeremy Renner ) helped rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to investigate the murder of a young woman on the Wyoming Native American reservation of Wind River. In Wind River: The Next Chapter , terror has escalated on the reservation as a series of … [Read more...] about ‘Wind River: The Next Chapter’ Adds Gil Birmingham, Alan Ruck, Kali Reis & Tatanka Means
Doha Film Institute Pioneers Series Lab As MENA Indie Film Producers Push Into Drama In Untapped Region
Lamia Chraibi is one of Morocco’s best-known indie film producers whose credits include Mica , about a boy from the slums who is discovered to have a talent for tennis, and Sitges prize-winning horror Achoura as well as co-producing 2016 Cannes Critics’ Week winner Las Mimosas . The Franco-Moroccan producer, who works under the banner of La Prod in Casablanca and Moons a Deal in Paris, is now attempting to break into drama series. It is a transition that has been tried and tested by indie film producers in Europe and North America but is less common in the Middle East and North Africa . Chraibi is giving it a shot in the belief that North African drama could eventually enjoy the same popularity as the non-English language shows out of Scandinavia, Turkey or South Korea. “I’m convinced that they could seduce audiences in the same way,” she says. “Language and origin of a series is no longer an issue, if anything, there’s an appetite to see stories set in … [Read more...] about Doha Film Institute Pioneers Series Lab As MENA Indie Film Producers Push Into Drama In Untapped Region
Oscar Winner Roger Ross Williams: Spending On Oscar Doc Campaigns Has “Gotten Insane” — CPH:DOX
Oscar winner and Academy member Roger Ross Williams is saying publicly what many in the documentary community have stewed over privately – that the sums of money being spent on Oscar documentary campaigns has “gotten insane.” And Williams, a former Academy Governor representing the Doc Branch, says something may be done about it. “We in the Academy, in the Doc Branch, have a campaign finance reform committee… to sort of try to work through that and figure out solutions to that. It’s gotten insane. It’s gazillions of dollars to get seen and heard,” he said, “and that’s so troubling because it should be on the merit of the films.” His remarks, less than two weeks after the Academy Awards, came in a discussion with documentary programmer and Pure Nonfiction podcaster Thom Powers at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. Powers asked the filmmaker about “the escalating attention that awards season sucks up in our industry,” and Williams didn’t hold back. “We know it’s awards, it’s the … [Read more...] about Oscar Winner Roger Ross Williams: Spending On Oscar Doc Campaigns Has “Gotten Insane” — CPH:DOX
CBS Renewal Status Report: ‘Blue Bloods’, ‘S.W.A.T.’, ‘East New York’ & ‘True Lies’
Third in a series on broadcast network series renewals. It’s been more than a month since the most recent CBS scripted renewals, of NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas . The three dramas that were left out at the time — Blue Bloods , S.W.A.T . and East New York — remain in limbo, joined on the CBS bubble list by new midseason drama True Lies , which debuted March 1. Business issues have been major factors in the renewal prospects for veterans Blue Bloods , currently in its 13th season, and S.W.A.T. , now in its sixth season, as well freshman East New York , I hear. Amid overall decline of linear ratings, it has become common practice for broadcast networks to ask for financial concessions on long-running series, which naturally become more expensive as they age. RELATED: Fox Renewal Status Report: ‘9-1-1’, ‘Lone Star’, ‘The Resident’, ‘Animal Control’, ‘Call Me Kat,’ ‘Flatch’ & More But things are looking very good for … [Read more...] about CBS Renewal Status Report: ‘Blue Bloods’, ‘S.W.A.T.’, ‘East New York’ & ‘True Lies’
NBC Renewal Status Report: One Chicago, ‘Law & Order’ Franchise, ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’, ‘American Auto’ & More
Second in a series on broadcast network series renewals. Reboots have been hot on NBC this season, with the two freshman follow-ups to classic TV series, drama Quantum Leap and comedy Night Court , both already picked up for a second season. For the first time in years, NBC faces renewals of its four top-rated dramas: Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise and Law & Order: SVU , whose three-season pickups all are coming to an end. I hear negotiations already are underway, and the goal again is to secure multi-season renewals for all four shows. That is considered attainable as the biggest obstacle for long-running hit shows usually is cost, and Wolf is known for keeping his productions on tight budgets. That sometimes is reflected into how long actors stay on his procedurals, with cast turnovers used as both a way to keep shows fresh creatively and keep costs in check. RELATED: We’ll Be Back: Photo Gallery Of TV Series Renewed In 2023 Of course, … [Read more...] about NBC Renewal Status Report: One Chicago, ‘Law & Order’ Franchise, ‘Lopez vs. Lopez’, ‘American Auto’ & More