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“Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” star Peyton Elizabeth Lee and “Dead Boy Detectives” actor Joshua Colley have joined director Will Ropp’s coming-of-age comedy “Brian.”

Written by “Late Night with Seth Meyers” writer Mike Scollins and starring Ben Wang, “Brian” follows an “acerbic, accident-prone high school student” (Wang) who runs for class president “in an attempt to get closer to his teacher.” William H. Macy plays Brian’s therapist while Colley plays a new friend.

The cast also includes Thomas Barbusca, Rightor Doyle, Jacob Moskovitz, William H. Macy’s daughter Sophia Macy, Jack Alberts, Randall Park, Natalie Morales and Edi Patterson.

The movie, which wrapped production in May in Oklahoma, marks Ropp’s feature directorial debut. Ropp previously directed “Kodar: The Primordial God of Light and Ether,” a dramedy short he also co-wrote that stars Maddie Ziegler and the film’s co-writer Nick Skardarasy.

“Brian” is executive produced by Seth Meyers,...

Netflix's first original shows went on for a while. Early, revolutionary hits like "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" endured for many seasons, thanks to the streamer giving them a chance to find an audience and develop their worlds fully. A few years in, though, Netflix became known for its willingness to give each and every show the chop. If your show is not a massive hit when it drops, it seems, they're no longer willing to invest in your success by letting you stick around. It's a shame, as many canceled Netflix shows might've become something truly great had they been given more of a shot.

But ... is television only worthwhile if it goes on ad infinitum? In all this "Netflix cancels things too early" discourse, there's a sense that television is only worth watching if it all ends — preferably many years from now — with a pitch-perfect final episode,...

Shailene Woodley has joined the cast of the upcoming Broadway play Cult of Love from Leslye Headland, the creator of The Acolyte.

She joins Zachary Quinto and Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira, who have also boarded the play about four adult children from the Dahl family returning to their childhood home with their partners for the Christmas holidays, only to see their harmony interrupted as old and new conflicts arise.

Big Little Lies star Woodley, who currently appears in the Three Women TV series for Starz, is making her Broadway debut, as is Headland. The play’s ensemble cast also includes Molly Bernard, Roberta Colindrez, Rebecca Henderson, Christopher Lowell and Christopher Sears.

Woodley’s other credits include the Divergent film series and roles in The Fault in Our Stars, The Spectacular Now and The Descendants. Bernard is best known for playing Lauren Heller on Younger. She also starred in Milkwater and...

Exclusive: Jeffery Self and Gabrielle Ryan have boarded Christopher Landon’s upcoming fast-paced thriller, Drop, from Blumhouse, Platinum Dunes and Universal Pictures.

The duo join the previously announced cast including Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar.

Drop is written by Jillian Jacobs & Chris Roach. Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller and Cameron Fuller are producers. Ron Lynch and Sam Lerner are EPs. Drop is a Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse production for Universal.

Self is known for his multiseason recurring role as Marc –Elliott’s on-again-off-again boyfriend– on the Max comedy series, Search Party. Last year, he recurred on the Blumhouse for Amazon series The Horror of Dolores Roach. Recently, he appeared in supporting roles in the Focus Features dramatic feature Spoiler Alert, directed by Michael Showalter and starring Jim Parsons, as well as the romantic comedy Mack & Rita starring Diane Keaton.

Down Low is a wacky dark comedy that explores LGBTQ+ representation and features a powerhouse cast including Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage. The chemistry between Lukas and Zachary shines on screen, with their characters' relationship bringing out the best in each other and bridging the gap between their life experiences. Down Low pushes the boundaries of what can be expected from LGBTQ+ movies.

Down Low is a wacky dark comedy that follows Gary, who recently came out of the closet and hired Cameron, a male sex worker, for a night. Things take a dark turn when the two men accidentally kill another man who Cameron invited to join the party. As the night progresses, they attempt to hide the body and keep themselves out of prison.

Down Low stars a powerhouse cast led by Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, Simon Rex, Audra McDonald, and Judith Light. Rightor Doyle directed Down Low...

It doesn’t take long before Down Low rises to the occasion. Literally. Within the first few minutes of director Rightor Doyle’s (Bonding) fabulous yet frenetic farce, Gary, a tortured soul, preps for his first erotic gay massage with Kory, who casually slathers oil over the man’s body while classical music plays on. Things quickly turn bizarre, setting the tone for the outlandish antics to follow in this saucy yet surprisingly charming film.

“I’m sorry,” whines Kory, a fiercely self-entitled Gen-z hipster. “This music is triggering me. Can I change it to something less traumatic? Sounds like I was getting off at a funeral.” A beat. “You have a dope house by the way. It’s sexy.”

So is Down Low. It's the quirkiest gay comedy in years and a hell of a lot of fun if you can forgive that it's as deep as a demitasse.

Lukas Gage and Zachary Quinto are keeping their clandestine meeting on the down low.

“The White Lotus” and “You” star Gage co-wrote queer sex comedy “Down Low” with Phoebe Fisher. Gage stars as a sex worker who is hired by a depressed (and repressed) divorcé to kickstart his new love life. Simon Rex, Audra McDonald, and Judith Light also star.

“Down Low” is directed by “Bonding” series creator Rightor Doyle, who also acted in the final season of “Barry.” The film debuted at 2023 SXSW.

In the film, Gary (Quinto) hires Cameron (Gage), a spirited and boundary-free sex worker to give him an erotic massage. When Cameron learns how inexperienced middle-aged Gary is, he becomes determined to deliver a crash course in unapologetic queer life. Cameron’s agenda of hookup apps and gay nomenclature quickly causes the day to take several riotously obscure turns as the pair endure a nosy, pill-popping neighbor,...

"I'm really glad I met you... even if multiple people are dead because of it." Sony Pictures has revealed an official trailer for an indie comedy titled Down Low, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Rightor Doyle. This premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and also played at Outfest LA, with a release on VOD set for October - no theaters for this one. This almost seems like the gay male version of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, but with a few extra twists involving dead bodies and more mayhem. "Finding yourself can get a little messy." The film is about a deeply repressed gay man, the uninhibited young man that gives him a happy ending (and teaches him some new tricks), and all the lives they ruin along the way. Starring Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, Simon Rex, with Audra McDonald, and Judith Light. Co-written by Phoebe Fisher and Lukas Gage.

Exclusive: Netflix’s first ever pilot, comedy Little Sky, has become the latest TV production impacted by the writers strike. The single-camera pilot, starring and executive produced by Samara Weaving, has been filming in New Mexico.

Production was halted on Tuesday (6/13) and Thursday (6/15) this week due to picketing affiliated with the WGA, sources tell Deadline. The pilot had been slated for location shoots both days, I hear.

According to sources, production proceed with no call sheets for crew, employing very early call times to avoid picketers and locations given to Department Heads before midnight via WhatsApp. No actors, the director or producers are believed to have crossed the picket line.

Little Sky had been scheduled to film until Tuesday 6/20. I hear Netflix today informed the cast and crew that they were happy with the material and that there was no need to finish the pilot. A rep for the streamer declined comment.

Amandla Stenberg has a couple of dates with Outfest next month.

First, the actress has been selected to receive the fest’s Platinum Maverick Award, an honor that “recognizes Stenberg’s artistry in film and music and her unapologetic use of her platform for fierce advocacy and activism within the LGBTQ+ community.” Stenberg will take the stage to accept the prize during opening night festivities at L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre on July 13.

Two days later, on July 15, Stenberg will turn up alongside co-star Bobbi Salvör Menuez and their director Jacqueline Castel at L.A.’s Redcat for a showing of their film, My Animal, as a festival platinum centerpiece screening. The screening, which follows a debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, will be followed by a Platinum Alchemy Party and Music Showcase at 10Dtla, headlined by Madame Gandhi (who will receive a special award) and featuring such acts as Mega Bog,...

Musician Amandla Stenberg, Madame Gandhi to receive honours.

My Animal, Jacqueline Castel’s queer werewolf romance which premiered at Sundance, has been named the centrepiece screening at the 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival running July 13-23.

Outfest will honour actor, producer and musician Amandla Stenberg with its Platinum Maverick Award at the opening night in recognition of her “artistry in film and music, and her unapologetic use of her platform for fierce advocacy and activism within the LGBTQ+ community”.

Stenberg and Bobbi Salvör Menuez star in My Animal, which screens on July 15. That night Madame Gandhi will receive...

Today, Outfest announced the centerpiece events and special awardees that will headline the 41st Outfest Los Angeles Summer Festival presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America, taking place July 13 – 23 in venues around Los Angeles.

Outfest will honor actor, producer and musician Amandla Stenberg with its Platinum Maverick Award, to be presented at the festival’s opening night celebration on July 13th at the Orpheum Theatre. The award recognizes Stenberg’s artistry in film and music, and her unapologetic use of her platform for fierce advocacy and activism within the LGBTQ+ community. Stenberg will also appear alongside actor Bobbi Salvör Menuez and director Jacqueline Castel at the Redcat in downtown Los Angeles at Outfest’s July 15th Platinum Centerpiece screening of My Animal, the trio’s queer horror romance that world premiered earlier this year at Sundance.

Following the My Animal screening on July 15th will be the Platinum...

Netflix has ordered its first ever pilot. The streaming giant, which has typically opted to order projects straight to series, has greenlit a pilot for the single-camera comedy “Little Sky,” Variety has confirmed.

Samara Weaving is attached to star in the pilot, which hails from creator Rightor Doyle.

According to an invidual with knowledge of the situation, Netflix does not plan to shift to the traditional broadcast model of ordering multiple pilots and comparing them for potential series orders. The “Little Sky” pilot is the only one planned at present.

Nevertheless, the fact that Netflix is willing to order a pilot is significant. The streamer has heavily influenced broadcast networks and other outlets in recent years into using a script-to-series model and mini rooms, the latter of which are a sticking point in the current WGA negotiations. To that point, the number of pilots ordered at the major broadcast networks...

Exclusive: Netflix is dipping its toe into the pilot development model with Little Sky, a single-camera comedy starring and executive produced by Samara Weaving (Scream VI). The streamer has ordered a pilot for the project, from creator Rightor Doyle (Down Low) who is also set to direct.

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Sources caution that this does not signal a permanent development shift. Little Sky is currently the only pilot planned at Netflix, which has been employing a straight-to-series model exclusively since venturing into original programming 12 years ago. I hear the decision was specific to Little Sky as executives were high on the concept but wanted to see a pilot to make...

Filmmakers and festival attendees are in Austin for the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival to celebrate the convergence of the tech, film and music industries across a variety of programming formats and special events. The fest runs March 10-19.

Fest-goers can expect red carpet premieres, gala Film, TV, Documentary and Spotlight events with talent expected to participate across all platforms.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves world premiered on opening night with cast members Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Daisy Head, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Latcham, and the directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein at the Paramount Theater on Friday, March 10. Other screenings on opening night included Later Bloomers, Only the Good Survive, National Anthem, Swarm and the Sundance horror favorite Talk to Me.

Related: SXSW 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews

Day 2 of SXSW on Saturday, March 11 featured screenings and world premieres from the films You Sing Loud,...

Down Low desperately wants to be funny and push boundaries. You can see it straining from the very beginning, when Cameron (Lukas Gage), a gay and Gen-z masseur, begins a casual conversation with his client Gary (Zachary Quinto) while giving him a hand job. It’s a promising opening stanza, especially when Cameron keeps distracting Gary with his gum-chewing and music choices. The subsequent visual gag––the full sex act cast in silhouette as the title plays over––makes clear this comedy will show you as much as it possibly can. But why does it already seem so forced?

Maybe because it suggests a knee-jerk reaction to movies like Bros or Love, Simon, recent mainstream gay comedies that spell out the culture for straight audiences. Perhaps as a matter of principle, Down Low cuts hard against the grain of those palatable affairs, aiming for insider language and references that lead to gross-out and taboo scenarios.

If they ever make a sequel to “The Celluloid Closet” — the landmark doc about the history of LGBT representation on screen — Lukas Gage should warrant at least two mentions. First, there’s the scene from the first season of “White Lotus” where Jake Lacy barges into the resort manager’s office, only to find Gage getting his salad tossed (a history-making moment for gay TV fans). And now there’s “Down Low,” an over-the-top, bottom-trawling comedy that wants to be for the gay community what “The Hangover” was to the mainstream — which is to say, wildly irreverent and incredibly wrong.

Starring openly gay “Heroes” villain Zachary Quinto as Gary, a recently divorced, richie-rich zaddy hoping for a happy ending, “Down Low” doesn’t quite understand its own title — code within the Black and Latino community for men who consider themselves straight while having sex with other men — but that’s Ok.

In a stately Long Island home, flanked by a coniferous forest and the sun-glinted ocean, a man prepares for a massage. He fastidiously removes his Oxfords and tucks them into a cubby. Next comes his watch, which he unfastens. It’s a marked difference from how he handles his wedding ring, a gold band he fingers before tossing in a box.

As the man — his name is Gary and he’s played by Zachary Quinto — lowers himself onto the massage table, a heavy and dramatic orchestral score plays in the background. His masseur, a spirited, blue-eyed, blonde-haired man, begins rubbing oil on his back. The tone of the scene shifts as Gary moans and groans.

So begins Down Low, a zany, frenetic and horny comedy that in trying to go there doesn’t end up anywhere. Penned by costar Lukas Gage (The White Lotus) with Phoebe Fisher, the film chronicles a feverish 24 hours for Gary,...

“Down Low,” an outrageous new comedy that premieres this week at SXSW, starts with a failed attempt at a happy ending. And things go sharply downhill from there.

The raunchy film is the brainchild of Lukas Gage, best known for being on the receiving end of Murray Bartlett’s, um, affections in “The White Lotus.” He wrote the film with Phoebe Fisher and stars as Cameron, a masseuse who is hired to get off Gary, a repressed millionaire played by Zachary Quinto. It’s an attempt at alleviating pressure that careens dangerously off the rails as Gary and Cameron destroy several lives over the course of one crazy day and night. Gage and Fisher were inspired to write the film after watching “Pretty Woman” and learning more about that rom-com’s original script, which was titled “3,000” and told a far darker tale about sex workers.

“We had an idea — what if we made it queer?...

Festival runs March 10-18. Further selections to be announced in early February.

The world premiere of Paramount and eOne’s spring tentpole Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will open the 30th edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 10.

The action fantasy quest story stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and Regé-Jean Page and is directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It opens in the US on March 31.

SXSW runs March 10-18 as an in-person event only. In addition organisers announced feature and short Competition entries, the Headliners and Midnighters line-ups, and select titles...

Exclusive: Simon Rex (Red Rocket) will join Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie in The Batman star Zoë Kravitz’s feature directorial debut, Pussy Island, for MGM.

The film written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum centers on Frida (Ackie), a young and clever Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Tatum). When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying. Rex will play Slater’s chef, trainer and oldest friend, Cody.

Pussy Island is a co-production between This Is Important, Free Association and Bruce Cohen Productions.

Spoiler Alert:Do not read if you haven’t watched “Forgiving Jeff,” the Season 3 premiere of “Barry,” now streaming on HBO Max.

Nobody is more critical of Gene Cousineau than the actor portraying him. Since 2018, Henry Winkler has been playing the acting coach on Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s HBO crime dramedy “Barry.” And while the role has provided Winkler some of the best reviews of his career, along with an Emmy for the show’s debut season, the TV icon known for playing the Fonz on “Happy Days” doesn’t mince words when describing Cousineau, referring to him as “selfish,” “self-centered” and with “no loving ability.”

When Season 3 of “Barry” begins, Cousineau seems to have changed, in ways both good and bad. Following the events of Season 2, he’s mended the rift between himself and his long-estranged son Leo (Andrew Leeds) and his grandson, who now both live with him.

Exclusive: Lukas Gage has joined the cast of Netflix‘s You for Season 4 as a series regular.

Gage will portray Adam, an ex-pat American, the youngest son of a wealthy East-Coast magnate. He’s famous for spectacularly failing to meet the standards of his successful, venerable family. An entrepreneur and a gambler, Adam is a warm and funny party host and fast friend. But underneath, Adam is hiding a trove of secrets and papering over problems with heavy self-medication.

Determined to prove himself, Adam’s taking big, risky swings, living by the truism that a good businessman does absolutely anything he can get away with. Does he love his wealthy, titled girlfriend, or is he using her? There’s no doubt he’s manipulating his friends; the only question is how far he’d go…

You, based on Caroline Kepnes’ best-selling novel of the same name,...

Exclusive: Lukas Gage, part of the ensemble cast of HBO’s hit series The White Lotus, has signed with WME for representation.

The move comes at a busy time for the actor and writer, who just wrapped production on the Peacock limited series Angelyne starring Emmy Rossum from executive producer Sam Esmail. Gage, whose credits include HBO’s Euphoria, also has the HBO Max movie Moonshot which is hitting the streamer in March.

On the writing side, Gage co-wrote with Phoebe Fisher Down Low, a FilmNation drama that he also stars in alongside Zachary Quinto, Simon Rex, Judith Light and Audra McDonald. It centers on a deeply repressed man, the uninhibited young man that gives him a happy ending, and all the lives they ruin along the way. That also recently wrapped production with Rightor Doyle directing.

Gage played Dillion the hotel employee on White Lotus, which is starting to...

Exclusive: Anonymous Content has upped longtime managers and producers Robyn Meisinger and Dara Gordon to partners. Gordon. They join AC partners Adam Shulman, Bard Dorros, David Levine, Dawn Olmstead, Doug Wald, Eli Selden, Eric Stern, Howie Sanders, Joy Gorman Wettels, Kassie Evashevski, Rosalie Swedlin, Sandra Chang, Tehmina Jaffer and Tony Lipp.

“Dara and Robyn are such incredibly talented, passionate and skilled managers, producers, mentors and most importantly leaders. They truly represent what is best about Anonymous Content,” said Anonymous Content CEO, Dawn Olmstead. “They have each embraced the constantly changing entertainment landscape in their own way, reimagining the ways in which we tell stories and embodying the innovative nature at the heart of Anonymous Content. They could not be more deserving of this promotion, and I look forward to all that they will accomplish next.”

Meisinger, a literary manager and producer, has become the co-head of the literary department. She...

Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed Simon Rex, who has a promising awards season ahead of him after his star-making role in Sean Baker’s acclaimed feature Red Rocket for A24 and FilmNation.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to a rapturous response, followed by the Telluride Film Festival and the Deauville American Film Festival, where it was recognized with the Jury Prize and the Critics Prize. It also is an official selection for the 2021 AFI Fest in November.

Rex, who was nominated for a Gotham Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Performance for his role, continues to be recognized throughout the current festival circuit. Critics have lauded Rex’s performance, with many considering this to be a breakthrough, career-defining moment for him. Red Rocket will debut theatrically December 3.

Rex is following that up with FilmNation’s Down Low alongside Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage,...

Netflix has canceled four of its original comedy series but will proceed to develop other projects with three of the shows’ stars and creators.

A spokesperson for the streaming giant confirmed Friday that “Mr. Iglesias,” “The Crew,” “Country Comfort” and “Bonding” will not be returning.

Kevin James vehicle “The Crew,” and “Country Comfort,” starring Katherine McPhee and Eddie Cibrian, are both ending after one season. “Bonding,” created and directed by Rightor Doyle, is concluding after two seasons and “Mr. Iglesias,” toplined by Gabriel Iglesias will end with part three.

However, just because Netflix is discontinuing these series, it doesn’t mean they’re parting ways with the talent involved.

The streamer says they’ve closed a development deal with James to develop a single cam comedy series for him to produce and star in. They will also continue business with Iglesias, with the third in a series of stand-up specials slated to shoot this summer.

Netflix has cleaned house and canceled a slew of comedies— “The Crew,” “Mr. Iglesias,” “Bonding,” and “Country Comfort”— all in one fell swoop, Variety has learned.

Both “The Crew” and “Country Comfort” had aired one season, while “Bonding” and “Mr. Iglesias” had aired two. But, fans of the slashed series won’t have to wait long to see familiar faces back on their screens. Netflix has closed a development deal with “The Crew” lead Kevin James to develop a single-cam comedy series for him to produce and star in. Additionally, Netflix continues to be in business with Gabe Iglesias of “Mr. Iglesias,” with the third of a series of his stand-up specials scheduled to shoot this summer. Netflix has also closed on a development deal with Rightor Doyle, star of the dark comedy “Bonding.”

The streaming platform recently announced the renewal of “The Upshaws,” featuring Kim Fields, Mike Epps and Wanda Sykes,...

Exclusive: Netflix has opted not to proceed with new seasons of four comedy series: the multi-camera The Crew, Country Comfort and Mr. Iglesias and single-camera Bonding.

The Crew, headlined by Kevin James, and Country Comfort, starring Katherine McPhee and Eddie Cibrian, are ending after their seasons; Mr. Iglesias, toplined by Gabriel Iglesias, produced two seasons, which were released in three parts; and Bonding, created and directed by Rightor Doyle, also did two seasons.

Netflix is staying in business with several key auspices from the canceled shows.

The streamer has closed a development deal with James to develop a single-camera comedy series for the actor-comedian to produce and star in.

Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV Shows Ended Or Continuing In 2020-21 Season

Additionally, Netflix has closed a development deal with Doyle and has the third in a series of Iglesias stand-up specials slated to shoot this summer.

Netflix got off to a...

Netflix is canceling four comedies right before the holiday weekend.

The streamer has axed The Crew (ending with season one), Country Comfort (ending with season one), Mr. Iglesias (ending with part three) and Bonding (ending with season two).

In addition, Netflix closed a development deal with The Crew‘s Kevin James to develop a new single-camera comedy series for him to produce and star in.

The company also has another project with Mr. Iglesias’ Gabe Iglesias, with the third of a series of his stand-up specials slated to shoot this summer.

Netflix has also inked a development deal with Bonding creator Rightor Doyle.

Yet one comedy recently ...

Netflix is canceling four comedies right before the holiday weekend.

The streamer has axed The Crew (ending with season 1), Country Comfort (ending with season 1), Mr. Iglesias (ending with part 3) and Bonding (ending with Season 2).

In addition, Netflix closed a development deal with The Crew‘s Kevin James to develop a new single camera comedy series for him to produce and star in.

The company also has another project with Mr. Iglesias’ Gabe Iglesias, with the third of a series of his stand-up specials slated to shoot this summer. Netflix has also inked a development deal with Bonding creator Rightor Doyle.

Yet one comedy ...

Exclusive: Mason Gooding, Emily Rudd and Lukas Gage are set to join Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse in New Line’s Max Original feature Moonshot.

Chris Winterbauer is attached to direct from a screenplay by Max Taxe. Sprouse’s Riverdale exec producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will produce through Berlanti/Schechter Films along with Jill McElroy and Jenna Sarkin of Entertainment 360.

The romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist is set in a future where Mars is terraformed and colonized by the best humanity has to offer. Two very different college students end up joining forces and sneak onboard a space shuttle to the red planet in order to be united with their significant others.

Mike McGrath of Berlanti/Schechter Films will executive produce alongside Dana Fox. Moonshot is the second feature collaboration between Berlanti/Schechter Films and HBO Max, where they have a four-picture pact, following their Unpregnant released last year.

Exclusive: Coming in the wake of Promising Young Woman‘s success at the Oscars, FilmNation Entertainment has greenlit Down Low written by Euphoria‘s Phoebe Fisher and Lukas Gage with Rightor Doyle (Bonding) directing.

The film is currently being cast and is targeting a summer shoot. FilmNation is fully financing the project and producing alongside Academy Award nominee Ross Katz of Sui Generis Pictures. The independent studio will also handle worldwide sales for the film. The pic is an audacious comedy about a deeply repressed man, the uninhibited young man that gives him a happy ending, and all the lives they ruin along the way.

“When we first read Down Low, we were immediately struck by Phoebe & Lukas’ hysterical script and their fearlessly original voice. And when we met Rightor Doyle and saw his disarmingly funny and empathetic series Bonding, we knew he was the perfect filmmaker to bring this...

A dominatrix and her gay best friend walk into a dungeon… That's the premise of Netflix's BONDiNG, which lured us into a binge-watching session we'll never forget. As we consumed the seven-episode first season, we quickly realized that this amusing fictional look into Bdsm fetishes was easily one of the funniest shows on the streaming service. The dark comedy, which hit Netflix in April 2019, is loosely based on creator and Barry actor Rightor Doyle's experience working as a dominatrix bouncer. So, not only does BONDiNG's Bdsm world feel real, it's wildly funny. Here's how Netflix described the show: "Chains, whips and hilarious quips! For grad...

In the penultimate episode of the second season of Netflix’s “Bonding,” Pete, aka Master Carter (Brendan Scannell), delivers a stand-up comedy set that his best friend and employer-dominatrix, Tiff, aka Mistress May (Zoe Levin), says he did not have permission to share because he is not truly of the community. In the next minute, an agent in the audience calls it “a hilarious take on a world I know nothing about.” These two reactions, while diametrically opposed in emotional delivery, are ultimately saying the same thing: Pete has power and a platform to share secrets of the Bdsm world, but that comes with great responsibility because many watching and listening to him will take his word — and only his word — as gospel.

Such was the case when “Bonding” first premiered on the streamer in April 2019. Creator Rightor Doyle, who once worked as an assistant-slash-bodyguard for a dominatrix, turned some...

Exclusive: Netflix has ordered an eight-episode second season of Bonding, the short-form dark comedy series from Rightor Doyle (Barry), with Zoe Levin, Brendan Scannell, Micah Stock and Theo Stockman all confirmed to reprise their roles. Production began this week in New York.

Written, directed and executive produced by Doyle, Bonding, whose episodes are 12-18 min in length, is loosely based on his life experiences. It centers on the relationship between former high-school BFFs, Pete (Scannell), a recently out gay man, and Tiff (Levin), a grad student and secretly one of New York City’s top dominatrixes, who reconnect in an unexpected way years later.

Doyle will continue to serve as executive producer, writer, and director in season 2. Anonymous Content’s Dara Gordon, Nina Soriano, and Jacob Perlin and Blackpills’ Patrick Holzman are also executive producers.

“We over here at Bonding couldn’t be prouder or more excited to bring you...

There has been much said — and many headlines written — about peak TV providing almost 500 scripted series last year and showing no signs of slowing down. One area not often taken into consideration in that equation is short form, which is seeing its own emergence of creative, high-brow content.

Some of the top deliverers in the genre include Netflix, which offers six series including Ryan O’Connell’s “Special,” Solvan Naim’s “It’s Bruno” and Rightor Doyle’s “Bonding,” as well as Sundance, which has “State of the Union” from writer Nick Hornby, director Stephen Frears and stars Chris O’Dowd and Rosamund Pike as a married couple who meet in a pub for 10-minute conversations before their weekly counseling sessions.

“While there is obviously lots of short form programming out there, we think this is a really premium environment for a short form series with A-list talent, an A-list writer and an A-list director,...

Exclusive: Ben Silverman and Howard Owens’ Propagate is joining forces with blackpills (Bonding), the Paris-based production studio specializing in premium, short-form scripted content aimed at millennials, to develop and distribute Ya content. In addition to a distribution partnership, the companies will be co-developing an original slate of premium content to take to market together.

Blackpills, a digital upstart founded in 2017 by co-ceos Patrick Holzman and Daniel Marhely, focuses on content aimed at young audiences for whom smartphones are the first screen with an emphasize on themes such as identity, coming of age, dating and digital addiction.

The partnership announcement follows the recent release of blackpills’ first Netflix original series, Bonding, from Rightor Doyle (Barry). The seven-episode short-form dark-comedy series stars Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell, and was co-produced by Anonymous Content.

Blackpills’ latest anthology series, Do Not Disturb, produced in association with Pulse Films, premieres at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

“Bonding” creator Rightor Doyle has responded to criticism that his new Bdsm-centric Netflix comedy misrepresents and stigmatizes the dominatrix community. The series follows a young gay man who takes a job assisting a dominatrix while pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian. “Bonding,” which premiered in full on Netflix on April 24, is based on similar experiences Doyle had in his youth as a struggling actor and comedian. (Doyle currently stars on HBO’s “Barry.”) He recently responded to the criticism from dominatrixes and those in the Bdsm community, originally reported on this site.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Doyle said he was listening and promised to seek out consultants from the community if given a second season:

I am very much listening to what the community has to say. The discourse happening on Twitter is important and I receive it fully. I am glad that these many differing opinions are...

Pete (Brendan Scannell) and Tiff (Zoe Levin) were best buds in high school, but have drifted apart. Rightor Doyle, the creator, writer and director of the zippy if strained new Netflix series, Bonding, introduces the pair at the awkward moment their friendship is rekindled — in the basement of a Manhattan Bdsm club where Tiff is now a dominatrix. It's a fortuitous reunion. Pete, an aspiring, stage-fright-prone comic, just happens to need some extra funds, so Tiff conscripts him into service as her leather-wearing, riding-crop-brandishing assistant.

Doyle based this scenario on his own experience, and the seven ...

BONDiNG Is a new Netflix dramedy series that explores power dynamics in and out of the dungeon of professional dominatrix Tiff. A student of psychology in her daily life, she reconnects with her high school friend Peter (now a barista) when she hires him to be her assistant/bodyguard in case things go south with her clients. Their fractured relationship is at the center of a tableau of various kinks in the Bdsm community, all of which expose different facets of their personalities.

Related: What Netflix's Bonding Reveals (Or Doesn't) About the Bdsm Underworld

The series is based on the real life circumstances of Rightor Doyle who at 22 became a bodyguard for his best friend, a working Dominatrix. His experiences bring some manner of authenticity to the series, but it’s received criticism for not accurately portraying the professionals and clientele of the Bdsm community.

The Twitter account for Mistress May shows an alabaster-skinned, dark-haired woman in a bustier, holding a riding crop and staring suggestively at the camera. “Welcome to my office. I’m Mistress May. And I didn’t give you permission to @ me,” her bio reads. At first glance, it looks much like any other dominatrix profile on Twitter, with one glaring difference: Mistress May primarily tweets links to positive reviews of the Netflix show Bonding, which was released on April 24th, because Mistress May is a fictional Twitter account created by Netflix to promote the show.

Netflix scored big with bawdy teen comedy “Sex Education” at the start of the year, but it appears its latest attempt at a sex positive comedy was a misstep. Created by actor Rightor Doyle, “Bonding” centers around a gay stand-up comic who comes into his sexuality when he takes on a gig as an assistant to a dominatrix. In a creator’s statement posted to Instagram, Doyle explained that the show is based on his personal experience as a struggling comedian in New York.

“As a young gay man still struggling with my own sexuality, guarding the door while one of my best friends from home tied a naked man to a four poster bed and whipped him was jarring to say the least,” wrote Doyle, while also touting “influences ranging from Pedro Almodóvar to Terry Zwigoff.”

Although many fans chimed in with messages of support, not all were convinced...

HBO's breakout hit Barry returns, setting up its central conflicts for Season 2 with shocking efficiency. Read our review!

This Barry review contains spoilers.

Barry Season 2 Episode 1

Barry, Bill Hader and Alec Berg’s hitman comedy for HBO, burst onto TV screens last year like a pinpoint shot from a high-powered sniper rifle, shooting to kill. The series was universally acclaimed, widely touted by critics as the best new show of 2018, and for good reason: Barry was a fully-formed thrill ride, taking the bones of Grosse Pointe Blank and infusing them with the moral quandaries, existential ennui, and downbeat, spirit-sucking compromises of Better Call Saul. Add in a pinch of potent Hollywood satire and a roster of scene stealing character actors, like Emmy-award winning Henry Winkler and Gotham’s Anthony Carrigan, and Barry was as sure to kill as the titular hitman turned wanna-be actor himself.

With that much praise heaped onto a freshman outing,...

Rising rapper, singer and all-star flautist Lizzo put a classy spin on her single “Juice” in a hilarious recreation of the famous jazz flute scene from Anchorman. Lizzo released the video after Will Ferrell, as Ron Burgundy, accepted her #FluteAndShoot challenge earlier this year.

The clip stars Lizzo, Este Haim and Rightor Doyle, and is practically a shot-for-shot remake of the original Anchorman scene with Lizzo modestly accepting an invitation to perform – “Honestly, I’m not even prepared!” – while simultaneously pulling a flute from the sleeve of her dress. As...

Netflix has picked up Bonding, the seven-episode short-form dark comedy series from Rightor Doyle (Barry). Originally announced as blackpills original to run on the digital platform, the series starring Zoe Levin (Palo Alto) and Brendan Scannell (Heathers) will instead be distributed by Netflix next year as a global original series.

Filmed on location in New York last fall with backspills and Anonymous Content producing, Bonding had its premiere at Outfest this past summer and was screened at other festivals. According to sources, blackpills had an option to put it on their platform but instead producers brought it to Netflix, which bought the series fully produced and there will be no editing on it.

Written, directed and executive produced/showrun by Doyle, Bonding, whose episodes are 12-18 min in length, is loosely based on his life experiences. It centers on the relationship between former high-school BFFs, Pete (Scannell), a recently out gay man,...

Ahead of its premiere at Outfest, we’re getting the first look at Bonding, a short-form dark comedy from Rightor Doyle (You’re The Worst). Set for release in 2018, blackpills is the studio, with Anonymous Content executive producing.

Written, directed and executive produced by Doyle, Bonding is loosely based on Doyle’s life experiences. Zoe Levin (Palo Alto), Brendan Scannell (Heathers) and Micah Stock (Escape at Dannemora) star in the series that tells the story of long lost high school BFFs who reconnect in an unexpected way. Pete (Scannell), a recently out gay man, and Tiff (Levin), a grad student, hope to pick up right where they left off. But Tiff has a little secret: she’s one of New York City’s top dominatrixes, and she’s about to tie Pete up in her underground world of sexual secrecy and Bdsm. The series consists of seven episodes and was...

Eli Sisach’s deep-space sci-fi thriller “Atropa,” Rightor Doyle’s kinky “Bonding” and Frenchmen Edouard Salier’s U.S./Cuba “Cabeza Madre” – where an initially lampooned Cuba in many ways comes off the better – all figure in the inaugural Canneseries Digital, a showcase for the riches – artistic, financial – of a burgeoning entertainment form.

Compulsive viewing, and homaging an ‘80s “Aliens”-school of murky, industrial deep-space sci-fi, American Eli Sasich’s time-warp mystery “Atropa” has an Off-World officer reuniting with his estranged wife in an outer galaxy, as her space vessel collides with another version of itself.

A Studio + Original Series, “Cabeza Madre,” delivers a “Fargo”-oddball character comedy about an uptight American (Clifton Collins Jr.) facing off in Cuba with his decapitated mother’s apartment-block mob.

Created and written-directed by U.S. actor Rightor Doyle (“You’re the Worst”), “Bonding” turns on two former high-school best friends, Tiff and Pete,...

Blackpills is expanding. Deadline reports the streaming service has ordered a new series called Bonding.From Rightor Doyle, short-form comedy "tells the story of long lost high school BFFs Pete (Brendan Scannell), a recently out gay man, and Tiff (Zoe Levin), a grad student and secretly one of New York City’s top dominatrixes, who reconnect in an unexpected way."Read More…...

blackpills has given a straight-to-series order to Bonding, a short-form dark comedy from Rightor Doyle (You’re The Worst) and executive produced by Anonymous Content. Zoe Levin (Palo Alto), Brendan Scannell (Heathers), and Micah Stock (Escape at Dannemora) have been cast in the series, which is loosely based on Doyle’s life experiences. Written, directed and executive produced by Doyle, Bonding tells the story of long lost high school BFFs Pete (Scannell), a recently out…...