Tag: Entertainment-Variety

On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Variety’s Michael Schneider speaks to “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking” exec producer Bill Lawrence on the relaunch of “Scrubs” on ABC and Hulu. Lawrence explains how he’s busier than ever in his career — after surviving “a couple of five- and eight-year gaps when I couldn’t get anything going on TV.”
 

More to come

Listen to Daily Variety on iHeartPodcasts, Apple Podcasts, Variety’s YouTube Podcast channel, Amazon Music, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

“Zootopia 2” introduces Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), a reptile whose home and community are destroyed by the evil machinations of the lynx family. His heroic actions — along with those of returning protagonists Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) —ultimately foil the villains.

But how do you make a pit viper empathetic?

Production designer Cory Loftis explains that Gary’s design evolved from being intentionally ambiguous — do we trust him? — to feeling instantly sympathetic. Initially, Gary’s eyes were placed more on the sides of his head. “But very quickly, the story started to evolve where it’s like, we want you to love this guy right out of the gate.

So we rotated his eyes to the front of his head so he could look right at you, and you could empathize with him straight away. We rounded his eyes out. We decided not to lose all of the reptileness, so we kept the long vertical pupils, but they’re softened a bit.”

Snakes don’t have eyelids, so Gary’s eyes protrude from the top of his head “more like a frog than a snake,” Loftis says. “So it’s not pure snake anatomy, but we built this thick brow over the top that he could push down onto his eyes to make lid-type shapes.”

As for the village where the snakes once lived, art director Sang Jun Lee proposed that the houses be interconnected to convey a strong, close-knit community. This made their destruction — and the community’s separation — feel all the more devastating. Scale motifs appear throughout both exteriors and interiors. “We made sure the counter heights were all low, because they would sort of slither up to them,” Loftis notes. The tables are curved, with natural scoops for snakes to settle into.

“We also ensured that all the handles on doors and cabinets could be wrapped by a snake’s tail, with pull handles on almost everything,” he says.

“And we really tried to think about where they would sit. Chairs didn’t seem particularly useful, so there are lots of cushions and poufs for them to curl up on.” Loftis adds that some story artists contributed clever ideas as well, including ensuring that every area had a snake accessible ramp so characters could slide up without bumping over stairs.

“There are slides everywhere so they can move around,” he says. “I have a very inventive art team. They really went to town on the mission and came up with some great ideas.

Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey came together for a one-of-a-kind town hall conversation hosted by Variety and CNN. The program, which aired Feb. 21 on CNN, is now available to stream on Variety‘s YouTube channel, along with bonus footage.

“A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey,” which was filmed before a live audience of University of Texas at Austin’s students, marked a reunion for Chalamet and McConaughey, who played son and father in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi epic “Interstellar.”

In the 90-minute conversation, the actors discussed their memories from “Interstellar,” Chalamet’s role in “Marty Supreme,” their approaches to acting and more. Chalamet and McConaughey also answered questions from audience members throughout the evening.

“Man, that’s remains my favorite project I’ve ever been in,” Chalamet told McConaughey about “Interstellar.” “I think it’s your most fantastic role. I know you were coming off ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ but that movie, to me, was the origin point in seeing how you carried yourself on set, how seriously you and Christopher Nolan took the work. It gave me a license. Coming out of high school, it’s hard to take yourself super seriously. You can feel like you’re wasting time or stuck-up or something. And I remember you had a yoga mat, and you’d be working out and sleeping on set. It was all very strange to me. But it was super inspiring. I just can’t thank you enough for being warm to me at that time, when you had no reason to be warm to me. Christopher as well. It just changed my life, man.”

McConaughey responded, “Thanks for that, man. You were pretty easy to be warm to. I remember you had what I felt like was a feverish curiosity at that time. You were figuring some stuff out, but it seemed obvious to me that no matter what you were dealing with, you were going to make your way. And I believe you were in some sort of limbo. You were choosing — something about music, and somebody was putting pressure about, ‘Maybe go this way,’ and you wanted to go this way.”

At one point, Chalamet shared new details about “Dune: Part Three,” which opens in theaters this December. He teased that the final film in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi trilogy is the “eeriest one” and a “big swing.”

Chalamet later added, “I didn’t want to be complacent about a single moment. Everything was sacred, and it was my last time doing a ‘Dune’ film, so I really wanted to treat it as sacred. Because people can get complacent, but I was more intense on the third one. It felt like that was the natural momentum, so I wanted to push against that as hard as I could.”

Watch “A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey” below.

Oscar-nominated documentary, “The Perfect Neighbor,” will hold special screenings at Stanford University on Feb. 25 and Fordham University School of Law on March 4.

Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor” tells the story of a minor neighborhood dispute in Florida that escalated into deadly gun violence when Ajike Owens, a young Black mother of four, was shot and killed by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz. The documentary is made from police bodycam, ringcam, and cell phone footage, as well as recorded 911 calls.

The film highlights Florida’s Stand Your Ground laws, which allow individuals to use deadly force if they believe it necessary to prevent death or bodily harm, as invoked by Lorincz during her trial.

Stanford Law School will hold a screening and discussion with Gandbhir and producer Nikon Kwantu on Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. The event will be held in collaboration with the American Constitution Society, the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, Women of Stanford Law, and the Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association.

Fordham Law School’s Center on Race, Law and Justice will hold a screening and Q&A with Gandbhir and producer Alisa Payne on March 4 at 5:30 p.m.

Leading up to the 2023 shooting, Lorincz called 911 consistently over a two-year period, complaining that Owens’ children and other neighborhood children were making too much noise and playing on “her property.” In an interview with Variety, Gandbhir described the pace of the film as “a slow burn.”

“You have these revelations that make you deeply uncomfortable throughout,” said the filmmaker. “It’s a horror film in many ways.”

Originally premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, “The Perfect Neighbor” was acquired by Netflix in February 2025 for a reported $5 million. The documentary debuted with 16.7 million views in its first three days on Netflix.

In “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet plays the titular character, an underdog who is convinced that table tennis is his ticket to success. Set in 1952, Marty is a hustler working at a shoe store, where he pretends customers’ sizes are out of stock to upsell them on pricier pairs. On the side, he’s always looking for his next get-rich-quick scheme.

Director Josh Safdie and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji brought the frenetic world of “Marty Supreme” to life. Khondji let Safdie’s script, which was co-written with Ronald Bronstein, guide him. No stranger to shooting period films, Khondji, who is nominated for an ASC award and an Academy Award for his work on the film, worked closely with production designer Jack Fisk, and was inspired by the photography of the era, particularly that of Helen Levitt.

“Most of the conversation was that the greediness of New York was a big thing for us, that we wanted New York to look like it could have been at the time, in the ’50s, so I put haze in the streets [for] pollution. There is always a layer between the actor, and we photograph through these layers,” Khondji says.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays faded movie star Kay Stone, who’s wooed by Marty’s hustling ways. The
two first cross paths at the Ritz Hotel in London in a scene where Marty watches her regally enter the dining room as Khondji’s camera follows, gliding along with her. Shortly after, Marty calls her room.
Khondji credits Safdie’s vision and ideas when it came to framing. “He’s the one coming up with this very modern, exciting idea that Gwyneth was going to be in a room, Timmy was going to be in a different room talking to each other, and shoot it at the same time, live.”

Towards the end, Kay sees through Marty’s ways and has a frank conversation with him about his “dreams.” Khondji relied on a 360mm anamorphic Cinemascope lens to shoot not just that, but most of the film. Distance was important, and the 360mm lens could provide that.

“Everything we shot was very observed. You wanted to observe them from a distance.” He filmed at the actor’s height to emphasize that. “We’re observing them, whether we’re behind or in the front, we’re really on their face,” he says.

“Joe vs. Carole” creator Etan Frankel has signed a first-look producing deal with Fox Entertainment Studios.

Under the pact, Frankel — whose credits include “Shameless” and “Friday Night Lights” — will develop and produce scripted series across genres. Per a press release, he’ll work closely with Fox leadership to “develop a strategic slate of scripted projects aligned with the studio’s creative priorities, including premium drama, elevated genre storytelling, and distinctive, creator-driven series with global appeal.”

“Etan is an exceptional storyteller with a rare ability to blend emotional depth, sharp perspective, and commercial appeal,” said Hannah Pillemer, head of scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios. “He has built an impressive body of work across platforms and genres, and his voice, taste, and leadership make him an ideal partner as we continue to expand our premium scripted slate.”

Frankel added, “I’m excited to be partnering with Fox Entertainment Studios at a moment when the studio is clearly investing in bold, creator-led storytelling. Hannah and her team have built an environment that champions ambition, collaboration, and originality, and I’m thrilled to develop meaningful, resonant series together.”

Frankel is currently developing the Millie Bobby Brown vehicle “Prism” for Netflix, on which he will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Under a previous overall deal at Universal Content Productions, Frankel created the scripted, “Tiger King”-related Peacock miniseries “Joe vs. Carole,” which starred Kate McKinnon as Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin and John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic.

Before that, Frankel was the showrunner and executive producer on “Sorry for Your Loss” and an EP on “Get Shorty,” “Animal Kingdom” and “Shameless,” on which he wrote for seven seasons. 

Frankel is represented by CAA, Literate and Gendler Kelly.

Beta Film has boarded as international distributor on a crime series about the death of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose Castle Neuschwanstein inspired Disney’s iconic castle logo.

The show is being produced by W&B Television, best known for “Pagan Peak,” “Dark” and “4 Blocks,” for German broadcaster ARD.

The series follows psychologist Gustav Zimmermann who is tasked with reviewing a psychiatric report on King Ludwig II, a document that will ultimately determine whether the king is declared incompetent to rule. The more he invests in discovering the reasons that led to Ludwig’s removal from power, the closer he gets to revealing the secrets of the king: his struggles with power, his longing for freedom and his forbidden love.

Beta Film said: ” ‘Ludwig’ is a cinematic journey into the king’s fantastical world, rich with pomp and gold. Yet behind all the splendor and spectacle stood a deeply enigmatic man — as mysterious in life as he was in death. Set in the late 1800s in Bavaria, ‘Ludwig’ is a fascinating and tragic tale of life and queer love, infused with a captivating crime story at its heart.”

Filming took place at historical locations, including Castle Neuschwanstein, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, and the former royal palace in the heart of Munich, the Residenz. Filming also took place in the Czech Republic.

Up-and-coming talent Luis Pintsch (“22 Lengths”) stars as King Ludwig II, alongside Felix Mayr (“Unorthodox,” “Senna”), who plays psychologist Gustav Zimmermann, Aaron Friesz (“Corsage,” “Franz K.”), Carlotta Bähre (“Ku’damm 77”), Jonathan Kriener (“Chabos”), as well as Tom Wlaschiha (“Stranger Things,” “The Boat”), Francis Fulton-Smith (“Empire Oktoberfest”), and Karl Markovics (“The Counterfeiters,” “Babylon Berlin”).

“Ludwig” is directed by Nina Vukovic (“Kleo 2”) and Sebastian Ko (“Tatort”), both also serve as writers. Head writers are Dominik Kempf and Marianne Wendt. Jan Prahl (“The Signal”) is the director of photography. Oliver Vogel, Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann and Dominik Kempf serve as executive producers, Stefan Mütherich as co-executive producer, and Gretha Heisig as associate producer.

Ferdinand Dohna, head of content, Beta Film, said Ludwig was “a romantic dreamer with rock-star allure, who accepted no compromises when the realization of his visions and dreams was at stake, most notably Neuschwanstein Castle, which famously inspired Disney’s iconic castle logo. Like every good romantic hero, he failed in the end and died under mysterious circumstances at a young age. These are the ingredients for larger-than-life characters, brought to life in this miniseries by an outstanding creative team and magnetic cast that will resonate with audiences around the world.”

Oliver Vogel, managing director at W&B Television, said: “We all know Ludwig II as a fascinating artistic figure – melancholic, extravagant, withdrawn into a fantasy world far from reality. With ‘Ludwig,’ we are unravelling the old myths, approaching the person behind all these masks, and telling a visually powerful story about a queer life in a repressive era. Together with ARD, BR, Servus TV and SRF, we are bringing the real Ludwig back into the spotlight – vulnerable, contradictory, visionary.”

Christoph Pellander, head of commissioning editors at ARD Degeto Film, said: “We are reimagining the tale of the legendary fairytale king as a fictional cold case that is reopened, shedding new light on his mysterious death. Thanks to the outstanding creative team in the writers’ room, directors Nina Vukovic and Sebastian Ko, and executive producers Oliver Vogel and Quirin Berg, this project combines history with modern suspense. Creating a high-end series that meets international standards is only possible by joining forces with great partners. I’m delighted to partner with Beta Film, BR, as well as ServusTV and SRF, on this exceptional series.”

Ludwig is produced by W&B Television for ARD Degeto, BR, ServusTV and SRF. The series is supported by the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), the Bavarian Film and Television Fund (FFF Bayern), with the support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund’s Production Incentive. Beta Film handles international sales.

Author Rachel Reid is asking fans of Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander to hold on just a little longer.

The author behind the “Game Changers” hockey romance series announced Tuesday that “Unrivaled,” the seventh installment in the franchise and third chapter in Shane and Ilya’s arc, has been pushed from its planned Sept. 29 release date to June 1, 2027. Reid shared the news in a video posted to Instagram, citing both the seismic life changes that followed the runaway success of the “Heated Rivalry” television adaptation and a worsening of her Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

“It’s been absolutely incredible. I can’t really put into words what any of this feels like for an author,” Reid said in the video. “It’s beyond a dream come true.” But she was candid about the toll that newfound fame has taken. “It’s also been very, very busy and overwhelming. My life has gotten very different in the last couple of months, and although it’s all good, it’s also taken away my ability to have quality time to write.”

Reid was equally open about her health. “When good things happen, sometimes the universe hands you some worse stuff to balance it out,” she said. “For me, that’s been that my Parkinson’s symptoms have gotten a bit worse, and it’s made it difficult physically to write. So I’m definitely a lot slower, and that’s just something I need to learn how to navigate.”

However, she was quick to reassure fans that the book itself is progressing. “The writing is going well,” Reid said. “I just need a little more time.” Pre-orders, she noted, will not be canceled.

The delay comes as the literary universe Reid built over the last eight years has exploded into mainstream interest. “Heated Rivalry,” the Crave original series that brought Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) to the screen, became a phenomenon after its release on HBO Max, earning a Season 2 renewal in December and sending its two leads to the Golden Globes and Fashion Week. Williams has since been named a friend of the house at Balenciaga and is set to star in an upcoming Crave original, “Yaga.” Storrie, meanwhile, is hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend and is attached to star in A24’s upcoming comedy “Peaked.”

Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry” is expected to begin production later this year, with a 2027 premiere planned — meaning the show and “Unrivaled” may land in the same calendar year.

“Unrivaled” picks up with Ilya and Shane newly married and publicly out, navigating a homophobic backlash in the professional hockey world led by a podcast called Top Shelf and a movement called #TakeBackHockey. It will be the first new book in the Shane-and-Ilya universe since “The Long Game” in 2022, and it’s the seventh entry in the broader “Game Changers” series, which includes “Game Changer,” “Heated Rivalry,” “Tough Guy,” “Common Goal,” “Role Model.”

“There’s nothing more important to me than ‘Unrivaled’ being the best book it can possibly be,” Reid said. “I think it’ll be better for the readers and it’ll be better for the characters.”

She also hinted at an upside coming soon, teasing that “some announcements” would be made later this week “about some things that I think people have been hoping for.”