Category Archives: Variety

Mark Smythe, Composer and Professor, Dies on Hiking Trail at 53
Mark Smythe, a New Zealand-born and L.A.-based composer, died Saturday after a medical emergency on the Mount Wilson hiking trail near Los Angeles. He was 53. The L.A. Coroner’s office reported ...
Pat Saperstein May 11, 2026

Amazon Greenlights ‘Rose Hill’ Series Based on Elsie Silver Romance Novels
Amazon Prime Video has ordered a series version of Elsie Silver’s “Rose Hill” romance novels. The announcement was made as part of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers ...
Joseph Otterson May 11, 2026

IATSE Announces Contract with ‘Beast Games’ Season 3
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) has reached an agreement with the producers of “Beast Games” Season 3. The new contract will cover more than 500 crew membe...
Jazztangcay May 11, 2026

Inside Fox’s Upfront: ‘Baywatch,’ Lachlan Murdoch, Lots of Tom Brady, and the World Cup Brings James Corden Back to Late Night
Just hours after she performed a song-and-dance number at the NBC upfront (as her "30 Rock" character Jenna Maroney), "Celebrity Name That Tune" host Jane Krakowski opened the Fox upfront with another...
Varietyschneider May 11, 2026

‘Sex Criminals’ Amazon Series Sets Nia DaCosta as Director
Nia DaCosta will direct the first two episodes of the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series “Sex Criminals.” She will also serve as an executive producer on the project. Based on Matt Fractio...
Selome Hailu May 11, 2026

Byron Allen Is Buying BuzzFeed, Will Become CEO
TV and media entrepreneur Byron Allen is taking a majority stake in BuzzFeed — investing $120 million in the digital media company — and will become CEO. BuzzFeed announced it has entered ...
Todd Spangler May 11, 2026

‘Westworld’ Movie Reboot in the Works at Warner Bros. From ‘Jurassic Park’ Screenwriter David Koepp
David Koepp is returning to the world of twisted amusement parks. The screenwriter, best known for adapting the hit novel “Jurassic Park” for the big screen, has been hired to pen a reboot...
Rebecca Rubin May 11, 2026

‘Mortal Kombat II’ Writer Jeremy Slater Explains All Those Fatalities, Resurrecting [SPOILER] for the Third Movie and the ‘Dozens’ of Characters He Wants for Sequels
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for “Mortal Kombat II,” now playing in theaters. Writer Jeremy Slater grew up playing “Mortal Kombat” in his local arcade an...
Jordan Moreau May 11, 2026

‘Matlock,’ ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ and ‘The Audacity’ Teams Dissect Complicated Dramas, Timeliness in Storytelling and the Freedom of Accountability
TV dramas come in many shapes and sizes, as perfectly spotlighted at Variety FYC TV Fest on May 6, where discussions took place around WBTV/HBO’s “Welcome to Derry,” AMC’s R...
Emily Longeretta May 11, 2026

‘Lord of the Flies’ Casting Directors on David McKenna Being the Perfect Piggy: He Seemed ‘Peculiar and Weird’
“Adolescence” co-creator Jack Thorne’s adaptation of "Lord of the Flies" remains largely faithful to William Golding's 1954 novel. The series, a co-production between Sony Pictures T...
Jazztangcay May 11, 2026