Peter Peter, the composer behind the score for Heated Rivalry, has signed on with Range Music for management, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal.
Heated Rivalry marked the scoring debut for Peter Peter (real name Peter Jones), with showrunner Jacob Tierney tapping him for the project after he listened to the musician’s 2024 album Éther. Like the rest of the show, Peter’s score grew increasingly popular over the course of last year, and the soundtrack will get a physical release on vinyl this July following its digital release back in January.
“It was pretty insane, especially for a first gig,” Peter previously told THRof working on the score. “It wasn’t even a debate on saying yes or no. It was just a big yes.”
Range signed Peter Peter about a year after the company first launched a composer division, bringing on Jeff Jernigan as the division’s first hire. Jernigan came from Kraft-Engel management and reps Steve Price (Gravity), Tom Howe (Ted Lasso), Raffertie (The Substance), Brandon Roberts (Andor), Joseph Stephens (The Righteous Gemstones), Disasterpeace (It Follows) and Helen Park (KPOP).
“Peter is a natural music-driven storyteller,” Jernigan said in a statement. “His music for Heated Rivalry is so integral to what has made the show a massive success, it draws you in from note one. We’re thrilled to have Peter join Range Music’s growing composer division and support this new side of his career.”
Outside of the composer division, Range Music represents acts including Jack Harlow, Noah Cyrus, Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr. among others.
Indie genre label Spooky Pictures and Image Nation are partnering with Longevity Pictures to dial into Home Safety Hotline,a horror thriller feature film based on Night Signal Entertainment’s popular puzzle video game of the same name. Michael Matthews (Love and Monsters) is attached to direct the co-production, with the screenplay written by Nick Tassoni (Lure).
The film will be produced by Steven Schneider (The Long Walk, Strange Darling, Late Night With the Devil) and Roy Lee (Weapons, Barbarian, It) for Spooky Pictures, alongside Longevity president Majd Nassif (Mercy, Locked) and Kameek Lucas Taitt (Empire City, Love and Monsters). Executive producers include Ben Ross (The Plague, Late Night With the Devil), CEO of Image Nation, and Jakob Pollack (Weapons) of Spooky Pictures.
The film will follow “an unemployed loner who must take a job as a phone operator at a mysterious home security company, only to realize they specialize in protecting customers from horrific monsters that come out at night,” according to a synopsis.
“This project exemplifies our commitment to supporting bold, original storytelling that resonates globally,” said Ross. “The game’s cult following demonstrates the universal appeal of its concept – and blending tonal influences of Severance and Stranger Things, Home Safety Hotline is analogue horror at its spine-chilling best.”
“Adapting beloved IP into visceral cinematic experiences is what Spooky Pictures does best, and Home Safety Hotline is a perfect example,” said Schneider. “Night Signal Entertainment tapped into something primal – the terror of what might be lurking in the supposed safety of our own homes. With Michael Matthews at the helm and Nick Tassoni’s sharp and hair-raisingly entertaining adaptation, we’re building a fun horror thriller that will have audiences screening their calls long after the credits roll.”
“At Longevity Pictures, we’re drawn to stories that feel instantly iconic but still push the genre forward,” said Nassif. “Home Safety Hotline takes a deceptively simple premise and turns it into something deeply unsettling, smart, and cinematic. Partnering with Spooky Pictures and Image Nation; and with Michael Matthews shaping the film and Nick Tassoni crafting the story, gives us the perfect creative foundation to translate this world into a truly unforgettable experience.”
Michael Matthews, courtesy of Jasin Boland/Paramount Pictures Studios
Matthews made his directorial debut with Five Fingers for Marseilles, which won five African Movie Academy Awards, including for best film. His second feature was Love and Monsters for Paramount Pictures. Matthews is currently wrapping production on Empire State, starring Gerard Butler and Hayley Atwell, and also previously directed the series Nautilus for AMC+, alongside commercials, music videos and short films.
Tassoni is best known for his 2023 Black List script Lure, which follows a park ranger lured into the woods by a dangerous, unearthly predator mimicking her dead daughter.
Matthews is represented by Range Media Partners. Tassoni is represented by Entertainment 360 and attorney Sasha Levites at FKKS.
Gianmarco Soresi‘s “The Downside” weekly comedy podcast, co-hosted with actor Russell Daniels, is coming to Vox Media‘s podcast network.
The podcast “embraces the negatives of life with humor and honesty” and is a place where “complaining is encouraged, negativity is celebrated and silver linings are debunked,” per Vox Media. The show features new guests visiting Soresi and Daniels each week. Recent guests include Kumail Nanjiani, Caleb Hearon, Grace Reiter (HBO’s “The Chair Company”) and political commentator Hasan Piker.
Vox Media will take over sales, marketing and distribution for the podcast. “The Downside With Gianmarco Soresi” previously was affiliated with comedy podcast network Headgum.
Soresi said about the Vox Media deal: “I’m thrilled to join a network that grants us a completely unearned air of intelligence.” Daniels added, “I just go where they tell me but this seems legit!”
Soresi’s show launched with video five years ago — earlier than many others in the category. Today it has 1.37 million YouTube subscribers, while Soresi’s Instagram has grown from 50,000 to 1.2 million followers (and he counts 4.9 million total across platforms). The show’s owned channels have another 163,000-plus followers, and “The Downside” offers Patreon subscriptions with additional exclusive content.
“Gianmarco and Russell have built a hilarious and smart show where complaining has never been more fun. Their dynamic with their guests and genuine affection for each other makes every episode a reliably good time,” said Lillian Xu, Vice President of Podcasts at Vox Media. “We’re excited to partner and build on their success to bring The Downside to audiences everywhere.”
Soresi is a touring stand-up comedian and actor who released his first special, “Thief of Joy,” on YouTube last year. In addition to making multiple appearances on late-night talk shows and working on “The Downside,” he works on his recurring new show, “The Silver Lining,” as well as “Theater Adult,” where he melds the world of theater and comedy.
Daniels is an actor, writer and comedian who recently starred in the off-Broadway comedy “Ginger Twinsies” at the Orpheum Theater and in the modern adaptation of Moliere’s “The Imaginary Invalid” at the Red Bull Theatre.
“The Downside With Gianmarco Soresi” joins Vox Media’s slate of podcasts, which includes “Pivot” (hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway), “A Touch More” (hosted by Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe), “Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast” (hosted by YouTuber and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee), “Networth & Chill” (hosted by Your Rich BFF Vivian Tu), “Criminal” (hosted by journalist Phoebe Judge) and “Tefi Talks” (hosted by creator and comedian Tefi Pessoa).
Variety has learned that Thurman will be back for the sophomore outing of the Paramount+ Premium series, reprising her role as Charley, a former Special Ops officer who worked for Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage). At the end of Season 1, Charley broke from Prater and fled New York to take care of her terminally ill mother.
Thurman is the latest casting announcement for the second season of “Dexter: Resurrection.” It was previously announced that Brian Cox would be joining the new season in the role of Don Framt, also known as the notorious serial killer the New York Ripper. And of course Michael C. Hall will be back as titular killer of killers Dexter Morgan.
Although Thurman is best known for her feature roles, she was previously nominated for an Emmy for her guest role in the series “Smash” and won a Golden Globe for her work in the HBO film “Hysterical Blindness.” She also recently appeared in the shows “Super Pumped” and “Suspicion.” Thurman was nominated for an Academy Award for “Pulp Fiction” in 1995. She went on to collaborate again with “Pulp Fiction’s “Quentin Tarantino in the two “Kill Bill” films. Her recent credits include the films “Oh Canada,” “Red, White, and Royal Blue,” and “Hollywood Stargirl.”
She is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, Jonathan Sanders & Co, and Hansen Jacobson.
“Dexter: Resurrection” was developed by original series helmer Clyde Phillips, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer on the new series. Hall executive produces in addition to starring. Scott Reynolds, Marcos Siega, Tony Hernandez, and Lilly Burns executive produce along with John Goldwyn and Sara Colleton, Veronica West, Kirsa Rein, and Tanner Bean & Katrina Mathewson. The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios and Counterpart Studios.
I’ve played a couple of hours of Forza Horizon 6, and so far I’ve enjoyed it in much the same way as its predecessor: by exploring and taking in the sumptuous world Playground Games has crafted. The preview build I played on my Xbox Series X was limited in terms of available activities — it was basically the game’s prologue — but I was able to explore almost all of the open world.
The on-rails intro takes you through some of the Japanese countryside and past landmarks like Tokyo Tower and Shibuya Crossing on the way to a race through the streets of the country’s largest city. Once that was out of the way and a springtime version of the map opened up, I set a marker for the mountains in the north. I wanted to check out an area I’d seen in a screenshot, a pass where you can drive through snowdrifts that are dozens of feet tall.
Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
My goal was simple: to bury my car into these snowdrifts, just to find out if it was possible. Sadly, the piles of snow were steadfast barriers. What a shame.
The journey to the mountains took me through rainstorms and falling cherry blossom leaves, small towns and forests. The environments, vehicles and weather effects all look pretty and polished, as you’d expect from this series at this point. (For what it’s worth, I normally opt for performance mode in modern console games, prioritizing higher framerates over visual fidelity. This Forza Horizon 6 preview was locked to the 30fps quality mode.)
In the prologue, there are activities to complete ahead of the Horizon Qualifier, a “wristband” event that gates story progress, and I checked a few of those out on my way up north. Trying to go as fast as you can through speed traps, drag meets, time trials and drift zones are enjoyable enough, but it’s the races that are the bread and butter of this series.
I entered a challenging cross-country race in a GMC Jimmy with a tall suspension. Not my smartest move. Still, I managed to pull out the victory after drifting my way across rice fields and beaches. I would have had an easier time if I’d chosen my car more carefully – there’ll be hundreds available in the full game.
Playground Games has built on the very welcome slate of accessibility features from Forza Horizon 5 as well. Having options like autosteering should help ensure a broader range of folks can play the latest game.
Other than only having access to a limited number of activities, the only aspects of the open world that were blocked off were The Estate (i.e. your home base) and Legend Island, which sounds like an endgame region. I didn’t tinker with my vehicles in the garage either. I did, however, stumble across an aftermarket sale, where I was able to buy a tuned-up car at a discount. That’s one of several neat additions in Forza Horizon 6.
Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Though I’m not much of a car guy, I dug my time with the last two Forza Horizon games. I’m looking forward to playing through this one. More than anything, though, Forza Horizon 6 is nudging me toward taking the step of actually booking my second trip to Japan, which I’ve been thinking about taking later this year. As pretty as the game is shaping up to be, it can’t beat the real deal.
If I do take that trip this summer, I won’t get to see the aforementioned giant snowbanks in person. That area of the map is based on a real place, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, where the snow walls can reach 65 feet in height. I wouldn’t want to travel between snowbanks like that in real life anyway, so driving through the pass in the game was a worry-free way to have that experience. Thanks for that, Playground.
Forza Horizon 6 is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Steam and Xbox Cloud on May 19. It’ll be available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The game is set to hit PS5 at a later date.
GoPro will cut 23 percent of its global workforce by the end of this year, as the action camera pioneer looks to reverse its fortunes in a competitive market.
145 employees will be laid off, with the restructuring process commencing in the second quarter of 2026, the San Mateo company said in a Form 8-K filing. At the end of the first quarter, GoPro’s total number of employees stood at 631, and it expects the cuts to cost it between $11.5 million and $15 million. These charges include honoring severance packages and healthcare benefits.
GoPro’s last reported round of layoffs took place in the second half of 2024. The company posted a year-end revenue decline in its 2025 financial results, including a loss of $9 million in its fourth quarter.
Despite the layoffs, GoPro is seemingly optimistic about 2026, banking on its AI-centric GP3 processor to spearhead a “new era of performance and innovation” for the company. The first GP3-powered GoPro cameras will launch in the coming months.
GoPro launched its first action camera in the early 2000s and enjoyed huge success with extreme sports enthusiasts. But it no longer has the market to itself, facing stiff competition from the likes of DJI, Insta360 and smartphone cameras in general.
Iran will collect crypto payments as transit fees from oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the two‑week ceasefire with the U.S., an industry official told FT.
Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, said that crypto-denominated tolls will be charged for fully loaded vessels as the nation seeks to “monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons.”
Hosseini’s comments signal Tehran’s willingness to use cryptocurrency for toll payments, highlighting the expanding real‑world use cases of digital assets in high-stakes geopolitical developments.
This isn’t new — nations at odds with the U.S. or its allies have long turned to crypto as a way to bypass traditional banking channels that leave a paper trail. Russia has indeed used cryptocurrency as part of broader efforts to evade Western sanctions, and in Iran’s case, Tehran is exploring digital payments as it looks to unlock funds for rebuilding the war-destroyed infrastructure.
The proposed framework will require tankers to notify cargo details to Iranian authorities via email, and the toll will reportedly be calculated at $1 per barrel of oil. Authorities will then instruct on how to settle the fee in digital assets, with officials citing bitcoin as a potential payment method.
Hosseini suggested that empty tankers would transit without charge, but fully laden vessels must comply with the reporting and crypto payment process before being cleared for passage.
“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in Bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,” he said.
The comments also indicated Tehran may direct traffic along the northern route of the Strait close to its coastline, a move that could raise questions about whether Western and Gulf‑linked shipping firms are prepared to navigate the risky Iranian waters.
Uma Thurman will reprise her role as Charley in the Paramount+ series. In the show’s first season, Charley, a former special operations officer, was billionaire serial killer enthusiast Leon Prater’s (Peter Dinklage) right hand woman; she left New York after discovering Prater had betrayed her trust.
Thurman will join Dexter: Resurrection stars Michael C. Hall and Jack Alcott in season two, along with Emmy winner Brian Cox as Don Framt, aka the New York Ripper — a retired serial killer who still taunts the survivors of his past deeds. The character was mentioned in the show’s first season, when Dexter (Hall) and Claudette Wallace (Kadia Saraf) found a file on the Ripper in Prater’s vault.
How Thurman’s Charley re-enters the story remains to be seen. Paramount+ has yet to announce a premiere date for season two.
Thurman is coming off Prime Video’s feature film Pretty Lethal. The Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction star’s recent credits also include Netflix’s The Old Guard 2 and Prime’s rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue; she’s also set to appear in the latter’s sequel, Red, White & Royal Wedding. Thurman is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, Jonathan Sanders & Co and Hansen Jacobson.
Showrunner Clyde Phillips executive produces Dexter: Resurrection with Hall, Scott Reynolds, Marcos Siega, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Veronica West, Kirsa Rein, Tanner Bean and Katrina Mathewson. Paramount Television Studios and Counterpart Studios produce the series.
