News

In today’s TV News Roundup, Netflix unveiled a trailer for The Eddy,” and Starz released a trailer for its new crime drama “Hightown.”

Dates

Lifetime will air its “I Was Lorena Bobbitt” on May 25 at 8 p.m, the cabler announced. Part of the network’s “Ripped from the Headlines” series of programming, the new original movie is based on an incident in 1993 in which Lorena Bobbitt (Dani Montalvo) cut off her abusive husband’s (Luke Humphrey) penis, as well as the subsequent media blitz that engulfed Bobbitt. The TV movie comes from Cineflix Productions. Lorena Gallo, now going by her birth name, serves as executive producer, along with Andy Streitfeld, Jeff Vanderwal, Sherri Rufh and Charles Tremayne.

First Looks

Netflix released a trailer for “The Eddy,” the streamer’s upcoming limited series following a struggling jazz club in modern-day Paris. The trailer offers a peek at the club’s...

Cineflix Media has appointed J.C. Mills as president and commercial director of Cineflix Productions, the company announced on Wednesday.

As president, Mills will be tasked with leading the company’s growth by developing innovative content strategies, building its community of creatives, and strengthening its relationships with networks and streamers. As commercial director, he’ll join the Cineflix Media executive team strategically planning and driving new business opportunities across the company.

Based in New York, Mills will report to Glen Salzman, Cineflix Media’s co-founder and co-ceo.

The hire comes as Charles Tremayne moves to a new role within the company as the chair of the Cineflix Content Group, a working alliance of its producers and other creatives. Tremayne will also be starting his own production company in partnership with Cineflix Media, though no further details have been announced.

Mills previously served as president and general manager of Glass Entertainment Group,...

Indie studio Cineflix Media has named J.C. Mills as president and commercial director of Cineflix Productions, the company behind such TV shows as Hgtv's Property Brothers and American Pickers.

Based in New York City, Mills replaces Charles Tremayne, who moves to a new role as chair of the Cineflix Content Group, while starting his own production company in partnership with parent Cineflix Media.

A former ICM Partners agent and president and general manager of the Glass Entertainment Group, Mills will oversee content strategies and creatives at Cineflix Productions, while also strengthening relationships with U.S. networks and streamers. Mills ...

In today’s TV News Roundup, Netflix released the first trailer for the third season of “Ozark” and the premiere weekend of “Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan” broke ratings records on Nickelodeon.

Casting

Mike Vogel, Adam Demos and Margaret Odette have joined the cast of the upcoming Netflix dramedy series “Sex/Life.” Vogel will play the husband of series protagonist Billie (Sarah Shahi); Demos will play the music mogul heartbreak that Billie hasn’t gotten over; Odette will play Billie’s best friend who accompanies her on the dating scene of Manhattan. Additionally, an entirely female directing team will helm the series, including Patricia Rozema, Jessika Borsiczky, Samira Radsi and Sheree Folkson. “Sex/Life” is executive produced by showrunner and writer Stacy Rukeyser, as well as Jordan Hawley and Borsiczky.

Netflix has announced new series regulars for its upcoming spy thriller “In from the Cold.” Ivanna Sakhno will play a young Russian...

Exclusive: Dani Montalvo (Dispatches from Elsewhere) and Luke Humphrey (Tiny Pretty Things) are set to star as controversial couple Lorena and John Bobbitt in the Lifetime feature I Was Lorena Bobbitt. Currently in production in Toronto, the film will premiere this summer as part of the network’s Ripped from the Headlines slate.

Lorena Bobbitt became a household name and made tabloid headlines when after years of abuse by her husband, she cut off his penis with a knife in 1993. Now nearly 30 years later, the fully authorized film in which Bobbitt serves as an executive producer, follows her journey from a wide-eyed, immigrant bride to a battered wife into an unlikely media sensation. I Was Lorena Bobbitt also documents her ultimately emerging as a strong, thoughtful woman who has devoted her life to advocating for other abused women.

Following the premiere of the movie, Lifetime will run a PSA for...

Lifetime has greenlit Ripped from the Headlines true-crime film, I Was Lorena Bobbitt, and the return of the series Smart Justice, hosted by Elizabeth Smart.

Lorena Bobbitt became a household name and made tabloid headlines when, after alleging years of abuse by her husband, she cut off his penis with a knife in 1993. Now, nearly 30 years later, she tells her story for the first time with Lifetime. The fully authorized film, in which Bobbitt serves as an executive producer, follows her journey from an immigrant bride to a battered wife into an unlikely media sensation. I Am Lorena Bobbitt also documents her ultimately devoting her life to advocating for other abused women.

Produced by Cineflix International, executive producers are Bobbitt, Andy Streitfeld, Jeff Vanderwal and Charles Tremayne. I Was Lorena Bobbitt is written by Barbara Nance and will be directed by Danishka Esterhazy. Casting is underway on the movie series,...

Lifetime is bringing more true-crime to primetime. The network has commissioned six “Smart Justice” specials with Elizabeth Smart to serve as companion docs for its “Ripped from the Headlines” true-crime movie slate.

In each “Smart Justice” special, Smart — the woman who became famous for escaping from her abductors after being kidnapped at the age of 14 — will analyze the details of the real-life case presented in each movie.

Two other projects greenlit from the headlines: the four-hour documentary “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein,” and a new authorized biopic “I Was Lorena Bobbitt” — based on the sensationalized ’90s slashing. Bobbit will serve as an executive producer on her own biopic.

Here is the description for “I Was Lorena Bobbit.”

“Lorena Bobbitt became a household name and made tabloid headlines when after years of abuse by her husband, she cut off his penis with a knife in 1993. Now nearly 30 years later, Lorena tells her story,...

Lorena Bobbitt’s story is getting the biopic treatment.

Lifetime has greenlit “I Was Lorena Bobbitt,” a feature about the woman who became a household name and made tabloid headlines when she cut off her husband’s penis with a knife in 1993 after years of abuse.

Bobbitt was the subject of a Jordan Peele-produced Amazon docuseries which came out less than a year ago, and this new retelling has Bobbitt herself on board as an executive producer. Casting on the project is underway and production will begin later this month. The film, announced by A+E Networks president of programming Rob Sharenow at Lifetime’s Television Critics’ Association winter tour press day, will follow Bobbitt’s “journey from a wide-eyed, immigrant bride to a battered wife into an unlikely media sensation.”

“I Was Lorena Bobbitt” hails from Cineflix International and executive producers Andy Streitfeld, Jeff Vanderwal and Charles Tremayne. Barbara Nance...

Exclusive: Science Channel has ordered Legends of the Deep, a four-episode series from the sister and brother team of Céline and Fabien Cousteau for premiere Sunday, June 9 at 9 Pm. The series was announced Tuesday as part of Discovery’s upfront presentation to advertisers.

In the series, Céline and Fabien carry on the Cousteau family legacy as they set out to uncover tales from the sea that remain shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Using the latest cutting-edge technology along with their diving expertise, Céline and Fabien explore shipwrecks, strange scientific occurrences, and mysterious natural anomalies, all beneath the sea.

In one episode, they probe what may have crashed into the cold, remote waters of Shag Harbor, Nova Scotia in 1967, which set in motion one of the biggest search and rescue missions ever attempted on the Eastern seaboard. In another episode, the siblings look into the June 1980 sinking of the Zenobia, a massive ferry with 151 people onboard.

Lifetime has greenlighted the original movie Girl in the Bunker, based on the true story of Elizabeth Shoaf, who was abducted in 2006 and held captive in a hidden underground bunker. From Girl in the Box‘s writer-director-executive producer Steven Kemp and executive producer Charles Tremayne, the dark, psychological drama stars Henry Thomas (E.T.), Julia Lalonde (Anne of Green Gables) and Moira Kelly (One Tree Hill).

Set to premiere at 8 Pm on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, the film will be followed at 10 Pm by the docu-special Elizabeth Shoaf: The Girl in a Bunker, which recounts the terrifying true story in Shoaf’s own words. Featuring news footage and interviews with firsthand accounts from Shoaf, her parents and police officials, the special takes viewers through Shoaf’s journey to a new beginning.

The description, per Lifetime: While Elizabeth (Lalonde) is walking home from the school bus stop, a man dressed as...

Parker Bowles previously served as vice-chairman and is the head of production at Story Mining & Supply Co.

During his career he has served as an executive at such companies as Working Title Films, Open Road Integrated Media and Hart Sharp Entertainment.

IFC and Sundance Selects svp of acqusitions and production Arianna Bocco, consultant Lyn Familant and Investigation Discovery and American Heroes Channel svp and head of production Sara Kozak were each voted in to serve three years on the board.

Incumbent member Douglas Schwalbe was re-elected to the board while Matthew Kearney will assume the role of treasurer and Charles Tremayne, having served his two-year term as chairman, will serve as vice-chairman for one year.

BAFTA New York’s new board term begins on July 1.

“I am delighted that Luke has been elected chairman of BAFTA New York,” said Tremayne. “He has done fantastic work on the film committee and establishing the popular ‘In Conversation’ series. He has...

Parker Bowles previously served as vice-chairman and is the head of production at Story Mining & Supply Co.

During his career he has served as an executive at such companies as Working Title Films, Open Road Integrated Media and Hart Sharp Entertainment.

IFC and Sundance Selects svp of acqusitions and production Arianna Bocco, consultant Lyn Familant and Investigation Discovery and American Heroes Channel svp and head of production Sara Kozak were each voted in to serve three years on the board.

Incumbent member Douglas Schwalbe was re-elected to the board while Matthew Kearney will assume the role of treasurer and Charles Tremayne, having served his two-year term as chairman, will serve as vice-chairman for one year.

BAFTA New York’s new board term begins on July 1.

“I am delighted that Luke has been elected Chairman of BAFTA New York,” said Tremayne. “He has done fantastic work on the film committee and establishing the popular ‘In Conversation’ series. He has...

BAFTA Cymru are taking Doctor Who stateside to celebrate ten years of the show.

The Welsh BAFTAs, in collaboration with BAFTA New York, have announced a special screening of the BBC One sci-fi drama in New York on Thursday, May 14.

220 people will be treated to a screening of most recent episode Listen, which stars Peter Capaldi.

Chairman of BAFTA New York Charles Tremayne said: "Doctor Who is such an iconic part of British television culture that it's always a privilege to celebrate its enduring success here in New York.

"The last 10 years since the re-launch in Cardiff have been among the most memorable of its many years on air."

He added: "Apart from some great backstage stories, it will be great to hear from Steven how they keep Doctor Who so fresh and part of the zeitgeist around the world."

The show's writer Steven Moffat said: "I loved Doctor Who on screen,...

Christina Thomas will step down as chief executive of BAFTA New York on July 1 and the search for her replacement will begin in February.

Thomas will stay on in the newly created position of development consultant and will take charge of expanding the non-profit’s funding resources.

She is a founding member of the New York branch of BAFTA and was appointed the organisation’s first chairman in 1996, a position she held until 2006. In 2007 she was appointed to her current role of chief executive.

A press release issued by BAFTA said under her tenure membership had grown to more than 800 and the group launched a number of programming strands as well as events such as the New York-based Film Awards Celebrations and BAFTA Brits To Watch.

“I have enjoyed serving as chief executive and I am particularly gratified to have played a role in raising awareness of BAFTA New York and contributing to the shared goals of BAFTA...

The group’s recent electionn sees Open Road Integrated Media evp of production Luke Parker Bowles named vice-chairman.

Cineflix Productions president of production Charles Tremayne will continue as chairman.

Dee Poku, the co-founder and CEO of Wie Network and former Paramount and Focus Features marketing executive, was elected to serve a three-year stint on the board.

Incumbent board members BBC Worldwide Americas general counsel Vernon Chu, AMC/Sundance Channel Global vp of programming and scheduling Patrick Connolly, Talent Partners executive chairman Matthew Kearney and Cinedigm Entertainment Group president of Docurama and special acquisitions Susan Margolin won re-election.

Jeff Cotugno stays on as treasurer and Chu as Secretary. BAFTA New York’s new board term begins on July 14.

“Luke [pictured] has been an avid supporter of BAFTA New York and our mission since joining the board last year and is a valued member of the team,” said Tremayne.

“His commitment to promoting the work of British producers, directors and actors...

Investigation Discovery made it official: it has greenlit a second season of Surviving Evil and Charisma Carpenter has signed to return as host. Surviving Evil presents stories of victims who fought back against their attackers and survived and, ID reminded the media, again, Carpenter is the survivor of an attack by a rogue police officer in 1991 that left her two friends both shot. “We feel especially lucky to welcome back Charisma, who adds an important layer of depth to the series as a survivor and symbol of female empowerment in Hollywood,” ID’s Gm Kevin Bennett said in today’s announcement. ID bills itself as the leading “mystery-and-suspense” network on TV, and America’s favorite “guilty pleasure.” The 10-episode second season begins filming in early 2014; the program is one of ID’s strongest, ratings-wise. The first season, which premiered on August 28 with Carpenter’s story, ranked as ID’s top...

After building a reality brand with series including "Intervention" and "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and venturing into scripted drama with "The Cleaner," A&E is blending the two genres with "The Fugitive Chronicles," a new hybrid docu-drama series.

The cable network has ordered nine episodes of the project from Rdf USA and Raw Prods.

"Fugitive Chronicles" will chronicle in detail some of the most compelling fugitive captures in the past 20 years. Like Steven Spielberg's 2002 feature "Catch Me If You Can," the stories will be told from the perspective of the hunter and the hunted.

At the heart of each episode will be a cinematic reconstruction of the events in a style similar to the verite technique used by Paul Greengrass in "United 93" and "The Bourne Ultimatum."

"We're taking the drama documentary form and are supercharging and modernizing it for today's generation," Rdf's Charles Tremayne said.

The re-enactments will...

British reality producer Claire O'Donohoe has joined Rdf USA as executive vp to help lead the development team.

She will be responsible for developing nonscripted programming for broadcast and cable, reporting to CEO Chris Coelen.

O'Donohoe, who will be based in Los Angeles, will be working alongside Greg Goldman, Mike Duffy and Sara Hansemann in the West Coast office as well as Lauren Gellert, Charles Tremayne and Kevin Duncan in the New York office.

One of the U.K.'s top showrunners, O'Donohoe has produced such top U.K. shows as "Big Brother," "Hell's Kitchen" and "Popstars."

Additionally, Rdf has hired Sunny Foscue as director of casting and Gerald Massimei as lead producer of development. All three will work from Los Angeles.

Bucking the industrywide job-cutting trend, Rdf USA has been on a hiring spree. The company now has a nonscripted development team of 15.

Lauren Gellert has joined Rdf USA as senior vp in the company's New York office.

She will be responsible for developing unscripted series and specials for broadcast and cable, working alongside Charles Tremayne on the East Coast and Greg Goldman, Mike Duffy and Sara Hansemann in the Los Angeles office. She will report to Rdf USA's CEO, Chris Coelen.

"It's a huge coup for us to get Lauren on our team -- not only is she highly regarded within the industry, but she also has a unique pop sensibility that's a perfect fit for us," Coelen said.

Gellert comes to Rdf from truTV, where she was head of development and vp alternative programming and played an important role in the channel's evolution from Court TV to truTV. She shepherded such series as "Most Shocking," "Speeders" and "Black Gold" and handled development on "Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel" and "Speeders Fight Back.

Discovery Channel has greenlighted a 13-episode series that will spotlight demolition blasts around the world and explain the science behind them.

"The Detonators," a co-production of Rdf USA and Iwc, an Rdf-owned company in Scotland, will follow two explosives experts, Braden Lusk and Paul Worsey as they meet the blasters behind such structures as urban skyscrapers, massive steel bridges and giant stadiums and give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the demolitions.

The hourlong series, which premieres in January, is executive produced by Beth Dietrich for Discovery, Charles Tremayne for Rdf USA and Rachel Bell for Iwc. Wendy Greene ("The First 48") is the showrunner.

"There's a lot more to it than just blowing things up; there's a surgical precision," Dietrich said. "It's so perfect for Discovery because it's kind of 'gee-whiz, I had no idea,' where it looks so easy but it's incredibly complicated."

Each episode will focus on...

A&E is building on its reality program slate with House of Dreams, a new series that goes into production in the summer for a primetime run on the cable network. The series will bring competing couples together to plan, design, build and decorate their dream house. The twist is that only one of the families gets to keep the home. "There's real human drama at the heart of 'House of Dreams, ' " says Nancy Dubuc, vp documentary programming at A&E. "These people don't just want a house, they need a home. They each have compelling personal stories that will unfold every week." House of Dreams was developed by Rob Grader of Granada USA for A&E. Executive producer for Granada is Charles Tremayne. Executive producer for A&E is Nancy Dubuc, and A&E supervising producer is Rob Sharenow. The producers liken the new reality series to a traditional barn raising that "celebrates the efforts of a group of like-minded individuals who work together to accomplish the same goal." But each week, one couple will be evicted from the site until the winners take possession of the dream home.