Tag: Entertainment-Variety

The truth is right here: Ryan Coogler‘s reboot of “The X-Files” is officially moving forward with a pilot order at Hulu.

In addition, Danielle Deadwyler is officially set to play one of the lead roles in the pilot, while the other lead role has yet to be cast. The official logline for the pilot states, “Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.”

Coogler will write, direct, and executive produce the pilot under his Proximity Media banner. Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler of Proximity will also executive produce along with original “X-Files” creator Chris Carter. Simone Harris of Proximity will co-executive produce. The pilot hails from Onyx Collective and 20th Television. Coogler and Proximity are currently under a TV overall deal with Disney.

News of Coogler’s take on the beloved sci-fi procedural first emerged in 2023, when Carter revealed that Coogler had contacted him about rebooting the series with a diverse cast. There has been no official news on the project since, though Coogler has teased work on the series in interviews since.

“Like my relationship with ‘Rocky’ with my dad, ‘The X-Files’ is one of those things with my mom,” Coogler told Variety in October 2025. “My mom means the world to me…so this is a big one for me. I want to do right by her and the fans. My mom has read some of the stuff I wrote for it. She’s fired up.”

This will be the first ever reboot of “The X-Files” but not the first time that the show has returned since it originally went off the air in 2001 after nine seasons. Fox revived the series for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018 with Carter and original series stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny returning in their roles as Dr. Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. There have also been two “X-Files” movies — 1998’s “The X-Files,” followed by “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” in 2008.

At this time, neither Anderson nor Duchovny are attached to Coogler’s pilot.

Deadwyler is best known for her roles in films like “The Harder They Fall,” “Till,” and “Carry-On.” She has also played memorable parts in shows like “Atlanta,” “The Bear,” and “Station Eleven,” with appearances in other series like “P-Valley,” “From Scratch,” and “Greenleaf.”

Coogler has established himself as one of the most in-demand and celebrated filmmakers of his time. He is currently making the awards show rounds with “Sinners,” which he wrote, directed, and produced. The film recently set a new Oscars record with 16 nominations, the most for any single film in one year. Coogler is up for best director and best original screenplay, while the film itself is up for best picture. Coogler most recently made history by becoming the first Black person to win a BAFTA Award for best original screenplay.

Coogler’s other film credits the two “Black Panther” films for Marvel, the “Creed” franchise, and “Fruitvale Station.” Coogler was also a producer on the Oscar-winning film “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

Coogler is repped by WME, M88, The Lede Company, and Cohen & Gardner. Deadwyler is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency, Play Management, and Ziffren Brittenham. Carter is repped by CAA and Gang Tyre.

The iconic orc statue that lives at the center of Blizzard Entertainment’s Irvine campus is standing a little taller these days as the brand behind “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Hearthstone” and “Overwatch” builds to its 35th anniversary.

Sitting in her office above the Microsoft-owned brand’s campus on Jan. 20, Blizzard Entertainment president Johanna Faries told Variety that the slew of announcements that would be revealed the following week in Blizzard’s big “Showcase” presentations were “the amalgamation of so much hard work and collaboration across everyone at Blizzard.” “And to me, that, in and of itself, is such a point of pride,” Faries said.

It’s a moment of hard-fought-for pride for Blizzard, a video game publisher that’s managed to maintain its beloved status with exuberant fans despite multiple controversial changes in leadership, a $35 million settlement over misconduct accusations, and a reputation for a “frat boy” workplace culture.

“The way that the game teams have come together to ladder up into something bigger that reflects the power of Blizzard — it’s easy to say, it’s incredibly hard to do,” said Faries, who joined Blizzard as president in 2024, following two years as general manager of the “Call of Duty” franchise at sister company Activision and more than 10 years in business and marketing exec roles at the NFL. “And the way that the simple symphony orchestra that is Blizzard has come together, it’s a showcase of an immense amount of work, an immense amount of creative collaboration. And it just makes me so excited to come to work every day, to be able to do this together in that way.”

But the major news revealed out of Blizzard’s showcase presentations — including the rebranding of “Overwatch 2” to “Overwatch” as it debuts a year-long narrative arc, “World of Warcraft’s” deep expansion into in-game housing, “Diablo’s” 30th-anniversary expansion plans — is not the peak of the anniversary celebration, but the start of the climb. What Faries and her team are really building toward is the triumphant return for BlizzCon this September, which will mark the first version of the event under Microsoft ownership after more than two years off.

“I’ve heard this from many of the teams that what we’re going to announce across ‘WoW,’ ‘Diablo,’ ‘Overwatch,’ even ‘Hearthstone’ and many others, just in this moment in time for Showcase, much of that would have been what we would have put on the main stage as an announcement at BlizzCon, at something of that caliber,” Faries said. “So I’m hopeful that not only do we drum up an enormous amount of excitement in the here and now, but that also signals how confident we are in the belief that 2026 represents a huge, banner year for Blizzard — because Blizzcon only has more behind the curtain that we’re excited to share. So hopefully players really see that and recognize, wow, if Blizzard’s coming this big in this moment of time, imagine what they might be also staging for us in September.”

While Faries hypes up just how much she’s not overhyping BlizzCon 2026, she’s also focused on what comes after that big in-person experience and what the next 35 years are supposed to look like. A big part of that is decided on the ground in Irvine, where Blizzard is cultivating its existing, homegrown talent. It’s a mission Faries is charged with just as longtime Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer exits and CoreAI exec Asha Sharma takes over and concerns about consistency arise.

“If you go into my office and look at the art on the walls, you’ll see how much it helps that we have real icons and leaders in the artist community,” Faries said. “We have, I would argue, the greatest artists in all of gaming and entertainment. And so their network gives us the leg up. They’re constantly thinking about, how do we recruit? How do we train up upcoming talent to continue to maintain the high-standard bar that we’re known for? Our players know there’s a Blizzard polish. There’s a Blizzard caliber for our artistry that stands out among all the rest, and we’re going to continue to make sure that that’s something we prioritize.”

With the artist legacy a firm part of its past, Faries wants to make expanding the mediums that art is showcased in part of Blizzard’s future.

“We talk a lot about this. We’re not Blizzard Games, we’re Blizzard Entertainment. We want to be able to show up on every screen imaginable,” Faries said. “We want to be able to create new fans who may not have been with us for the past 35 years. How we continue to engage Hollywood or film and TV in bigger ways is going to be, in the near term, probably a big part of that recipe. We also play in music. We also play in non-traditional spaces, beyond gaming, certainly.”

Faries added: “I would confidently say that every one of our IPs could be some of the greatest linear media experiences that the world could experience. So more to come on the specifics. What I will say is that there are highly generative, proactive, near-term discussions across almost every one of our worlds right now, with respect to what can we do, what format works, who’s the right team to take that to new audiences in a high caliber way.”

Among the announcements made during Blizzard’s series of “Showcase” presentations was a revamp for the nearly 10-year-old “Overwatch” franchise with a big narrative expansion. That move came just as Wildlight Entertainment was set to debut its “Overwatch 2” competitor, “Highguard.” In the weeks since, “Highguard” has struggled significantly, while “Overwatch 2” fans have had widely positive reactions to the ambitious roadmap for “Overwatch,” despite a few jokes poked at the rebranding.

“It’s coming to fruition after a couple of years of a strong conversation about, what is a real pivot going to look like?” Faries said. “And how are we going to make sure that it feels genuine, it feels deep, it feels rich, in all the ways that our players are going to want to experience these new characters? I will also say, and I hope that the team would say it as well, competition is a good thing. It keeps us on our toes. It keeps us adapting. It forces us sometimes to adapt and go quicker in spaces.”

“Overwatch’s” new update kicked off with an intense cinematic trailer that the team already knows has once again stirred up conversations about that IP in particular being adapted for TV or film.

“It’s something that we see signaled to us very consistently,” “Overwatch” general manager Walter Kong told Variety. “So whenever we put out any type of lore, including a cinematic thesis, there is a very common expression of, I wish we could have more of this, I wish that we could enjoy these stories. So when I took on the role of franchise GM, these future opportunities and possibilities were something that pushed me to say yes, yes, yes, because I think we have delivered on the game, but there’s still so much on the broader franchise experience that I wanted to bring to players and fans.”

Among “Diablo’s” big teases, including the release of the first update for “Diablo II” in 25 years, “Diablo IV” executive producer and vice president Gavian Whishaw was particularly proud of how in the weeds his team is getting with the features in their upcoming “Lord of Hatred” update.

“The paladin that we’re going to release with the expansion has an expanded skill tree,” Whishaw told Variety. “And this is one of the things that players have been asking us for for a while. It’s an extremely complex system. The joke is that we have a ‘skill twig,’ and they would like a tree, so we’re giving them a tree in the expansion and players have way more choices in the paladin skills. The thing that we’ve also done is we’ve gone back and we’ve done every other class as well. So we’re hoping we can be like — OK, you wanted the tree, here’s the tree for everybody.”

And if deep updates to its current game are what “Diablo” had to share recently, is news on a new title coming at BlizzCon?

“It’s kind of complicated when you’re talking about titles that have been around for 20 years and people are still dedicated to and still playing and still going to get excited about new content,” Whishaw said. “I’ll say at a high level, I think over 30 years of ‘Diablo,’ we’ve done five titles. So I would hope that over the next 30 years we do a few more than that, maybe we get some out faster.”

The “World of Warcraft” team, led by executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale, prioritized the game’s long-awaited housing update in its Showcase, and the priority of making the game as accessible to the staple “WoW” player as to larger casual community.

“There are many of us on the team that are fans of other games, and ‘The Sims’ being one of them, where we look at it and go, here’s some things the community finds frustrating, and if we can find a way to allow it and support it, then we will continually lower barriers for anybody who wants to do it and do it the way they want to do it,” Longdale said.

“There’s two sides to this. One of the most fun ones was when, through a bug, players discovered that they could make their house float above the landscape. We had a fix in place, and we were about to patch it, and the team just went, like, why are we fixing this? They’re making awesome stuff, and isn’t that the purpose? And then there’s some things that we’re like, oh, no, you should not be able to. That is one of the beautiful things about user-generated content is that once it’s out there, just like ‘World of Warcraft’ in general, they own it, and then it’s our job to support it and put some guardrails where they’re needed.”

Longdale says the journey to housing has been “iterative and involved a lot of deeper discussions from the beginning.” “And it got slowly over time less restrictive, less restrictive, less restrictive,” she said. “And then looking at problems like, well, why do we want raiders to care about housing? It’s like, yeah, we want them to care — but they’re not required to care. So making sure that every game loop and audience has some representation, but anyone can do it and participate.”

Blizzard Entertainment as a whole is now trying to strike that balance between giving its 35-year-old brand the room to grow and introduce new things to draw in new audiences and keep the business thriving, while not pushing away its stalwarts.

“We believe we have the best IP in entertainment,” Faries said. “We believe we have some of the greatest gaming talent the world’s ever known. We are going to be as good as our ability to collaborate across these functions and putting together the playbook internally to brainstorm as one, have strong strategic conversations and planning cycles as one, and to align against a big vision that we have for the whole company, in addition to our individual universes and games.”

Per its title, the NBC sitcom “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” is a comeback story, but it’s also a reunion. Comedian Tracy Morgan has produced a wide-ranging body of work since his breakout on “Saturday Night Live” at the turn of the millennium — and, more dramatically, since sustaining severe injuries in a New Jersey traffic collision in 2014. But his most iconic role remains, if not himself, then a part directly adjacent to his own persona: Tracy Jordan, the chaotic yet lovable co-lead of Tina Fey’s meta entertainment satire “30 Rock.” For seven seasons, Morgan balanced deep-cut cultural references and cracks about corporate mergers with a needed dose of anarchy, while Fey and her writers formed a knack for channeling Morgan’s ebullient energy into absurd, instantly iconic bits like “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” or the concept of an EGOT.

“Reggie Dinkins” is co-created by Robert Carlock and Sam Means, two longtime staples of the broader universe one could call Feyworld. (Fey herself serves as an executive producer, as does Morgan.) Carlock has worked with Fey since their time at “SNL,” where they also overlapped with Morgan; Means did stints on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Great News” in addition to “30 Rock”; more familiar names, like “Girls5Eva” creator Meredith Scardino, pop up in the credits as the 10-episode first season moves briskly along. Although Fey’s TV adaptation of Alan Alda’s “The Four Seasons” broke from these shows’ otherwise consistent MO with decidedly mixed results, “Reggie Dinkins” is a return to form, both in style and quality. That’s great news for viewers, but also for Morgan, who finally gets a character equal to Tracy Jordan in channeling his particular charisma. And this time, his name — or rather, Reggie’s — is on the door.

Like many single-camera network comedies, “Reggie Dinkins” is a mockumentary. But unlike many shows that use the framing device as a given in a post-“The Office” world without an in-text explanation of the project in progress, á la “Modern Family” or “Abbott Elementary,” “Reggie Dinkins” makes filmmaking part of the plot. (As well as the TV trend: one character says he’s been practicing his Jim Halpert face for mugging to the camera.) Morgan’s Reggie Dinkins is a former NFL star who ended his career — and lost the New York Jets the Super Bowl — by betting on his own games, an act he likens to working for tips. Thanks to Reggie’s ex-wife and current business manager Monica (Erika Alexander, a seasoned pro playing a seasoned pro), Reggie is just fine financially. But he wants his legacy to be more than his mistakes, so he hires Oscar-winning documentarian Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe, who seems to have taken a liking to TV comedy after “Miracle Workers”) to make a movie about his quest to join the league’s Hall of Fame.

Arthur himself has fallen on hard times, taking a day job at the University of Maryland Center for Documentary, MMA and Pornography after a public meltdown on a commercial set and making Reggie’s story something he can relate to. In its premiere, “Reggie Dinkins” lightly pokes fun at the kind of feather-light, celebrity-commissioned films Arthur feels he’s demeaning himself to direct, with Reggie spouting platitudes like “a son is just a homie you make” while refusing to open up about his actual feelings. And to the extent that “Reggie Dinkins” is conceptually flawed, it’s that the show falls into this trap a bit itself. Emphasizing Reggie’s financial security, good relationship with his teenage son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall) and the mutual respect between Monica and Reggie’s young influencer fiancée Brina (Precious Way, hilarious) makes the setup gentle to a fault, sanding down potential edges and giving away opportunities to dig into topical issues like CTE, athletes’ post-retirement security and the new ubiquity of sports gambling. Based on “Reggie Dinkins,” you’d never know that Reggie’s life-altering scandal is now dangerously close to the new norm. 

But there are also benefits to this trade-off, chief among them a cast with chemistry in spades and a proudly goofy, punchline-a-minute pace that’s like a balm to those of us who love the Fey-Carlock oeuvre, even deep cuts like the Peacock revival of “Saved by the Bell.” With his dweeby air, pretensions and position at the helm of an active production, Arthur is the Liz Lemon of this setup, but with the emphases reversed. “Reggie Dinkins” takes evident pleasure in tossing Radcliffe curveballs like belting out the Beatles, dressing in full camouflage so Arthur can embed himself and being insulted as an “Elijah Wood lookin’ ass bitch,” all of which the actor — now 15 years into building his post-Potter image as a game, adventurous performer — handles capably. As Arthur’s muse, Morgan naturally gives Reggie a sweetness and naiveté that makes his redemption easy to root for, even with questionable logic like “Fools run errands all the time; that’s why Wawa sells sushi!” He’s good enough to make you wish “Reggie Dinkins” would test its hero’s likability a bit more, if only because Morgan is clearly up to the challenge.

Despite the long shadows of Tracy, Liz and even Michael Sheen’s stuffy Brit Wesley Snipes, “Reggie Dinkins” is not merely a collection of reheated tropes from its creative teams’ back catalog. (Though to call Brina, who happily plugs a Takis-Tampax collab and threatens to go on a trashy reality show called “Engagement Peninsula” when Reggie drags his feet on wedding planning, the show’s Jenna Maroney is to pay her the highest of compliments.) Alexander’s warmth and evident savvy make her a welcome addition to the repertory company, while Bobby Moynihan plays Reggie’s best friend, roommate and former teammate Rusty with full-body commitment to the gloriously stupid bit. Literally: the oafish Rusty gets himself stuck in a washing machine, a predicament in which the rigorously ethical Arthur refuses to intervene.

Watching “Reggie Dinkins” cohere into an ensemble, you can feel the show swap out the trenchant questions about celebrity and storytelling raised by its pilot for the comforting consistency of a ragtag gang scrambling to stay afloat, but never at true risk of sinking. Should the show become a long-running concern, such points of emphasis will justify themselves. More seasons would also provide an opportunity to fill in the gaps. Once he’s risen from the ashes, maybe Reggie Dinkins can finally have it all. 

The first two episodes of “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” will air on NBC on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. ET, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Mondays at 8:30pm ET and streaming the next day on Peacock.

After winning the BAFTA Film Award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for “My Father’s Shadow” on Sunday night, Akinola Davies Jr. decided to speak up about Palestine.

The critically acclaimed first feature from the British-Nigerian filmmaker — who sported pins of the Palestine and Democratic Republic of Congo flags to the ceremony — follows two brothers who attend a family reunion in Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election and witness their father’s daily struggles. Raised between London and Lagos himself, Davies Jr. felt compelled to highlight the importance of immigrant stories in his speech.

“To the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide, you matter and your stories matter more than ever,” Davies Jr. said on stage, standing alongside his brother and co-writer Wale Davies. “Your dreams are an act of resistance. To those watching at home, archive your loved ones, archive your stories yesterday, today and forever. For Nigeria, for London, Congo, Sudan, free Palestine. Thank you.”

However, that part of Davies Jr.’s speech did not make it into the tape-delayed BBC broadcast of the BAFTAs, which is always cut down from three hours to two. This caused outrage late Sunday night and Monday morning, especially since a racial slur shouted by Tourette’s campaigner and subject of the nominated film “I Swear” John Davidson — who experiences involuntary tics including swearing — was left in and not removed until Monday afternoon.

In a statement on Davies Jr.’s speech being edited, the BBC said: “The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the program was delivered to time. All winners’ speeches will be available to watch via BAFTA’s YouTube channel.”

Speaking to Variety on Monday after his BAFTA win, Davies Jr. acknowledges that edits had to be made to the broadcast but says “it’s a shame” that the last part of his speech was cut. However, he’s still proud to have used his moment in the spotlight to give a voice to those without one.

“It was really important in the moment for me to say that in a room full of artists, because we have an opportunity to influence people because they watch our films,” he says.

Plus, Davies Jr. got to meet the team behind Gaza drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” — which lost to Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” for best non-English film — who thanked him for his words. “That was really beautiful that, even though they didn’t win an award, someone still advocated for what they’re going through,” he adds.

Below, Davies Jr. speaks more about winning his first BAFTA, showing solidarity with Palestine and what his next project might be.

Congrats on your first BAFTA. What does the award mean to you and how did you feel when your name was called last night?

I wasn’t really anticipating the win, if I’m honest. Obviously it’s the one you want to win, but I just tried to get my mind in a space where I was going to enjoy the occasion for what it is. And thankfully, I wrote something down so we weren’t awestruck when we got on stage, but I was obviously really nervous. It just means a lot to everyone below the line, Ṣọpẹ́ [Dìrísù], the two Egbo brothers Godwin and Marvellous, my brother, my producers, all the execs — everyone who has been part of our journey for the last 15-16 years or so to get to this point. And I’m just really proud of the team because it takes a village, and I think everybody in that village is equally as entitled to that victory as we are.

You ended your speech with “free Palestine.” Why was it important for you to use your platform to say that?

I guess I’m just very aware of what it means to have privilege, and I think it’s something that I always try and acknowledge. My mom always used to say, “There’s a lot of people worse off than you, so you should be really appreciative of what you have.” And I don’t think it really dawned on me until I became more of an adult that to be able to live in the bodies we have, to live in the societies we live in is a real privilege that a lot of people on this planet aren’t afforded. And wherein being someone from an ethnic background who has had a country that’s been torn apart by civil war and genocide, I think it’s really important to acknowledge that because the more we can talk about these things, the more you can offer people understanding and an opportunity to heal. What’s happening in the Congo, Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine, loads of different countries, it’s really important to show solidarity with because in cinema, we always come to talking about those stories after the fact. So I think it’s important to name it while things are still ongoing.

Wha was your reaction to the broadcast cutting out the “free Palestine” portion of your speech?

I think it’s probably common knowledge that things have to be edited down for TV versions, so I guess those are the choices that they decided to make. I think it was really important in the moment for me to say that in a room full of artists, because we have an opportunity to influence people because they watch our films. I can’t really speak for the BBC and the choices they make — obviously, BBC Films supported my film so I can only vouch for people within the institution that I know and care about and love. I do think it’s a shame, because we’ve protested for the last three or four years trying to show solidarity with the people of Palestine, we’ve had some of the largest political solidarity demonstrations in the U.K. So I don’t think what I’m saying is new, but again, I’m not the institution so I don’t get to make those decisions.

People have been outraged that your speech was edited, but a racial slur shouted by Tourette’s activist John Davidson was left in until Monday afternoon. What are your thoughts on that?

It’s unfortunate because I think what the BAFTAs were trying to do [was] celebrate diversity. I think “I Swear” is one of the outstanding films [of the year], and obviously Robert Aramayo also gave a speech talking about what it’s like [for Davidson] to live with Tourette’s and a lot of his prompts are things that he can’t control. Whilst it’s incredibly hurtful to still have to be on the biggest stage and be a person of color and hear a racial slur, I do think there’s a means to mitigate that, which they tried to do as best as possible in the room with the host saying that what [Davidson] said was out of his control. For all intents and purposes, I know what we’re speaking about was really sad, but I think a lot of people in that room last night were very proud of what the BAFTAs accomplished in terms of the acknowledgement of our work.

On a lighter note, is there anyone you got to meet or interact with last night that excited you?

I was really struck by the team behind “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” I met Hind Rajab’s mother and they were all very proud of the fact that we showed solidarity with Palestine and we took pictures together and spoke a little bit. That was really beautiful that, even though they didn’t win an award, someone still advocated for what they’re going through. Joachim Trier was also really complimentary and we exchanged a few messages, and Chloé Zhao and Lynne Ramsay. Me and Ryan Coogler realized we had the same haircut and the same patterns in our hair. It was a cool night, man.

Do you know where you’re going to keep your trophy?

At the moment, it’s just in my flat. I do a lot of mentoring, so I think I’m going to take the trophy around and show it to a lot of young filmmakers so they can all take a picture with the BAFTA. Again, it’s not just for me. The award is really for the whole creative community here in London and in Nigeria, people who a lot of the time are just working with no praise and no acclaim and very little resources and are just very supportive of each other. And eventually, it’s going to find its way to Nigeria. I think my brother is giving his to my niece, and so mine is probably going to be shared with all my nephews.

What’s next for you?

I’ve had a documentary in the works that we need to get back to. My editor who worked on “My Father’s Shadow” is working on it, and we got some really exciting execs on it as well. It’s also about similar themes to “My Father’s Shadow” — it’s almost like a part B but in a documentary form. And then my brother and I are going to go on a writing trip and try and put something together, a first draft of what would be the next project. But I’m just really excited to keep promoting “My Father’s Shadow,” because we’ve got the French release on March 25, the Spanish release on March 5 and a Brazilian release in early to mid April. So that’s a lot on my plate for the time being, for sure.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Searchlight Pictures has signed a first-look film and television deal with Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini’s Dirty Films. Under the pact, the specialty studio will develop and produce feature-length motion pictures with the production company, as well as series for streaming under Searchlight Television.

“Dirty Films has consistently championed distinctive voices and ambitious storytelling,” said Matthew Greenfield, president of Searchlight Pictures, in a statement. “Cate, Andrew and Coco are singular creative partners and we’re thrilled to continue our commitment to filmmaker-driven cinema with this collaboration.”

Dirty Films’ Blanchett, Upton and Francini added, “We are honored to partner with Searchlight Pictures, whose passion for cinema and deeply collaborative ethos align seamlessly with our own. Together with Matthew Greenfield and his exceptional team, we look forward to championing bold, entertaining, and provocative storytelling across film and television for audiences worldwide.”

Blanchett made her international feature debut, “Paradise Road,” with Searchlight. She has previously appeared in such Searchlight releases as Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” and Richard Eyre’s “Notes on a Scandal,” for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Blanchett has earned two Academy Awards and her credits include “Blue Jasmine,” “The Aviator,” “Carol” and “Tár.” Searchlight Pictures and Dirty Films recently wrapped production on Alice Birch‘s “Sweetsick.” It marks Birch’s directorial debut and stars Blanchett.

The first look deal was negotiated by Paul Hoffman for Searchlight Pictures. CAA represented Dirty Films in the talks.

Dirty Films recently wrapped Jenny Suen’s “Peaches” and the Zellner Brother’s “Alpha Gang.” Recent credits include Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails,” as well as the award-winning podcast “Climate of Change” and the VR interactive experience “Evolver.”

Empire Publishing, the publishing division of the independent powerhouse music company of the same name, has entered a new agreement with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Shaboozey, who is also on the Empire label. His track record of course includes the RIAA-Diamond certified hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and the gold album “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going.”

The Empire publishing team is led by newly appointed president Vinny Kumar, who helped secure the deal alongside SVP of A&R Eric Hurt, who signed Shaboozey to Empire’s label in 2021.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Shaboozey in this publishing deal,” says Hurt. “As great of an artist as Shaboozey is, he’s equally as talented as a songwriter; constantly striving to write the most compelling, story-driven songs that reach a broad and diverse audience.”

Kumar added, “The creative foundation of Shaboozey’s success is his writing, which sits at the center of one of the most significant chart achievements in recent memory. We’re proud to partner with him on the publishing side as he continues to make history.”

Jared Cotter, Shaboozey’s co-manager and Range Media Managing Partner, added: “We couldn’t be happier to double down on the mutual commitment between Shaboozey and Empire. They have been integral partners in Shaboozey’s success on the record side and I have no doubt we will say the same in the publishing business as well.”

+ Generative-AI company Suno has named former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer, it announced Monday morning. In the role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships, and enterprise solutions and will report directly to CEO Mikey Shulman.

During his six years as CEO of Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent music labels and distributors, Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion while rebuilding its technology infrastructure and expanding its data and licensing capabilities. He led licensing agreements with major technology platforms including Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube among others. He also negotiated Merlin’s early AI partnerships.

Prior to Merlin, Sirota held business development, strategy and operational roles at Meta on the music team, was a senior record executive at Warner Music Group, and served as a technology lawyer at Morrison Foerster, where he did licensing work for entertainment companies and advised on intellectual property matters.

“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” said Shulman, co-founder and CEO of Suno. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”

Suno recently announced a partnership with Warner Music Group and last fall, it launched what it claims is the the first generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.

+ Sony Music Publishing has promoted Greg Prata to chief financial officer, effective March 31. He will continue to be based out of the company’s New York office and will report to SMP chairman & CEO Jon Platt.

In his new role, Prata will oversee all aspects of Sony Music Publishing’s financial operations globally, including reporting, accounting, budget, administration and IT. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who recently announced his upcoming retirement from his position as CFO, after a 35-year career.

Platt said, “Greg has been a trusted leader on our team, and I’m pleased to see him step into the CFO role as we advance our next stage of growth. At the same time, we thank Tom for his remarkable tenure. His leadership has helped drive our success and set a high bar for excellence that Greg will continue to build upon.”

Prata joined Sony in 2012 as senior VP of financial planning & analysis, following his time at EMI. In 2019, he was promoted to executive VP of finance & corporate strategy. Prior to his roles at Sony Music Publishing and EMI, Prata spent over a decade in private equity and investment banking.

+ Patron Saints of Music, the custom music house behind Bravo’s “Below Deck” and others, has named Allie Moskovits head of sync & business development. In this newly created role, Moskovits will lead sync strategy for Patron Saints’ expanding catalog to drive business across TV, film, advertising, gaming, and emerging media. She will also focus on developing new artists and songs to diversify the catalog and expand the company’s footprint beyond unscripted television.

+ Culture Wave, a Los Angeles–based, “rock-forward” artist management company operating in partnership with Red Light Management, has expanded in several areas.

Artist managers Ryan Cunningham and Mike Bingham of Polarizer Management have joined Culture Wave, bringing their rosters into the company’s management division. Cunningham represents the Armed, Prostitute, Trauma Ray, Patrick Shiroishi, Truck Violence, Jodi, while Bingham joins with Trauma Ray, Spiritual Cramp and Agriculture. Cunningham will remain in his role at Biz 3 Publicity where he’s been a publicist for 12 years.

The company also announces the promotion of Rachel Hacken to artist manager, transitioning from day-to-day support for Jason Mageau’s roster. Hacken now manages Kittie, Gore., Thousand Below, and Holy Wars; as well as:

Alana Lopez joins as touring & logistics manager, supporting Jason Mageau’s roster and Culture Wave artists; Madison Stern joins as day-to-day manager for Andrew Jarrin; Ana Garcia joins as digital marketing coordinator; Erin Carignan joins as day-to-day manager for Ryan Cunningham; Joey Mullen joins as co-manager for the band Agriculture with Bingham.

Berenice Bejo, the Oscar-nominated of “The Artist,” Swan Arlaud (“Anatomy of a Fall”) and Lea Drucker (“Case 137”) are among the 4,000 French actors who have signed a vitriolic open letter denouncing what they describe as as an “organized plundering” of AI tools and are calling for urgent political action.

Backed by Adami, the collective management organization for performers’ rights, the petition states that the industry has already been struggling with unauthorized voice cloning, image scraping and undervalued AI licensing deals for some time.

“This tool, extraordinarily valuable for certain professions, is also a devouring hydra for the artists that we are,” says the letter. The signatories also pointing out that this “systematic plundering is not a fantasy — it is happening here and now;” citing a recent anecdote of an actor who was recently offered just €250 to authorize the use of his image by AI for a new advertising campaign for a major French company, replacing two full days of filming.

Unauthorized voice cloning is also becoming increasingly widespread and has already prompted some to take legal action. Earlier this month, eight French dubbers of Hollywood stars, including Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, as well as animated characters such as Buzz Lightyear, issued a formal notice to a pair of AI companies, VoiceDub and Fish Audio, to demand that they remove all cloning models exploiting their voices from their platforms within eight days, claiming €20,000 in damages.

The letter (unveiled by French newspaper Le Parisien today) emphasizes that many lesser-established actors, often lacking leverage, feel pressured to sign contracts granting AI rights, “despite the risks to their image and their future.” As such, French actors demand “guarantees that no artist will be forced to give up their digital identity.”

The actors’ lobbying push comes as the European Union is in the process of rolling out its landmark AI Act, which sets transparency requirements on generative AI systems.

The legislation, however, does not yet create a clear regime specifically addressing performers’ likenesses, biometric data or voice cloning. As such, French performers are urging French lawmakers to adopt stronger national measures so that “AI can coexist with the work of artists and respect for copyright and related rights.”

Here’s the full open letter:

On February 26, the Olympia will host the 51st César Awards ceremony. This unmissable event will be an opportunity to celebrate a rich artistic year and laugh at the witty remarks of Benjamin Lavernhe, master of ceremonies for this edition.

But there is one subject that we, as actors and actresses, do not want to joke about. With our minds turned to the future of cinema, we are facing a profound change in our profession since the arrival of Artificial Intelligence. This tool, which is extraordinarily valuable for certain professions, is also a devouring hydra for artists like us.

Not a week goes by without an artist warning about the brutal competition that AI poses to their work. Just recently, an actor was offered a contract to use his image by AI for the creation of a new commercial for a major French group, simply replacing two days of filming. A Faustian pact… paid 250 euros! The cloning of actors’ voices without their permission is becoming commonplace. Complaints have been filed again recently. The work of an actor or actress is then reduced to their personal attributes alone: a voice, a face.

This systematic plundering is not a fantasy, it is happening here and now. It is unbearable, and it is happening right before our eyes. And sometimes it is hundreds of less established artists, who often cannot afford to turn down a contract, who give up their rights to AI, despite the risks to their image and their future. Beyond employment, it is the nature of the creation we want that is at stake.
If the public and professionals are concerned and unanimous, the only possible response today lies with politicians. There is an urgent need to create a legal framework so that AI can coexist with the work of artists and respect for copyright and related rights. Recent legislative initiatives show that parliamentarians are becoming aware of the issue. We call on the entire political class to quickly address the issue of respecting artists’ rights in the face of this unregulated innovation.
French cinema has always been able to embrace technological revolutions to fuel creativity while respecting the role of the artist.

We, as actors and actresses, are now urgently calling for ambitious regulations that will enable France to embrace this digital shift without sacrificing either its cultural heritage or the performers who embody it.

The British Academy has responded to the controversy surrounding the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, where Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson made a number of offensive comments during the show. Among his involuntary outbursts — caused by his condition — was the N-word, shouted when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

In a statement issued on Monday, BAFTA said that it took “full responsibility” for putting its “guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.” It also said it wanted to “apologise unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo. “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism,” it said.

The situation was addressed in the ceremony on the night, where host Alan Cumming made two statements, thanking the crowd for its “understanding” of Davidson’s disability and apologizing should anyone have been offended (a line later criticized on X by “Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler, who described it as “throwaway”).

Davidson excused himself from the ceremony about halfway through, but the situation only escalated when the BBC kept the racial slur in its tape-delayed broadcast (something it too apologized for, before removing the program from its iPlayer streaming service).

In its new statement, BAFTA also took time to praise Davidson for choosing to leave the ceremony and thanked him for his “dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.”

See the full statement from BAFTA below:

At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.

We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.

During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.