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In the past few years, the uplifting husband-and-wife vocal duo the War and Treaty started showing up everywhere. Since signing a major-label record deal in 2022, Michael and Tanya Trotter — known for their blend of rootsy R&b and country gospel — have become mainstays at awards shows, performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, and earned high-profile duetting slots with everyone from Zach Bryan to Ringo Starr.

Before starting the band, Michael served in Iraq and began playing piano in one of Saddam Hussein’s abandoned palaces. Tanya,...

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Netflix is one of the best places to find the best movies and TV shows you can watch on any streaming service. Every month, it adds hundreds of new titles to its content library, but with that, there are also some titles that have got to go. So, today, we are here to tell you about the best film you should watch before it leaves Netflix in February 2025.

Plus One (February 1) Credit – Rlje Films

Plus One is a romantic comedy film co-written and co-directed by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer. The 2019 film follows Ben King and Alice Mori, two young friends who attend multiple weddings together but they soon fall for each other. Plus One stars Jack Quaid, Maya Erskine, Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves, and Ed Begley Jr.

Fast Five (February 11) Credit – Universal Pictures

Fast Five...

Before making their new album, the War and Treaty decided it was time to play ball with Nashville. Two years after the husband-and-wife roots duo signed to a major label, they wanted to show the mainstream country industry that they understood the conventions most country artists are expected to adhere to if they want a chance at success.

But for Michael and Tanya Trotter, leaning into country music custom wasn’t mere capitulation. Rather, the duo decided that if they embraced certain elements of the way things are done in Nashville,...

Jack Quaid stole our hearts away as the very lovable yet sometimes infuriating Hughie Campbell in The Boys. Time and again, he has established himself as an extremely capable actor. After all, he is half Dennis Quaid and half Meg Ryan! Speaking of the rom-com queen, almost a decade ago, the actress took a break from Hollywood to focus on herself and develop herself as a human being.

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally (1989) | Credits: Columbia Pictures

She finally returned to business last year with What Happens Later, a rom-com that she not only starred in but also directed and wrote. And while she has been in a number of flicks since 1981, her role as Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally, will always be a fan favorite. However, despite the fact that the rom-com holds a very iconic scene that made the world fall in love with her,...

Garth Brooks has announced the final three weekends of his long-running Las Vegas residency titled “Garth Brooks/Plus One” at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The final concerts begin in late February and conclude in early March, 2025.

Find tickets here, and read on for more info, including the full list of Brooks’ residency dates and how to get access to sold-out shows.

Get Garth Brooks Tickets Here

What Is Garth Brooks’ Las Vegas Residency?

“Garth Brooks/Plus One” began at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in May 2023, and the country stalwart has continued with numerous sold-out shows since then. Now, the residency is coming to a close, with the final nine dates taking place in early 2025.

The concluding, newly-announced dates will run February 21st-23rd, February 28th, March 1st-2nd, and March 7th-9th.

“I can’t believe it has come and gone, already,” said Brooks in a statement.

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Puppy Love is a romantic comedy film directed by Nick Fabiano and Richard Alan Reid from a screenplay co-written by Greg Glienna, Peter Stass, and Kristen Guenther. The rom-com film stars Grant Gustin and Lucy Hale in the lead roles of Max and Nicole. Puppy Love follows the two after a horrible first date but Max’s dog gets pregnant by Nicole’s dog and this starts a cutesy and anxiety-filled love story. So, if you loved the romance, comedy, and charming characters in Puppy Love here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Rescued by Ruby (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Rescued by Ruby is a biographical comedy-drama film directed by Katt Shea from a screenplay by Karen Janszen. Based on a true story, the 2022 film follows the story of State Trooper Daniel O’Neil who dreams of...

Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan tied the knot in 1991, before welcoming their son Jack Quaid a year later. In 2000, the couple divorced, but Dennis Quaid harbors no ill will about their years spent together as a couple.

Dennis Quaid – Hints Jealousy At Meg Ryan’s Rising Popularity Ruined Their Marriage

It takes a big man to admit that his emotions quite got away from him and ruined a beautiful thing that he had. During his interview on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Dennis Quaid, 70, reflected on his marriage to fellow actress Meg Ryan and why that is still a beautiful thing to him to this day.

“When I met Meg, I was here as far as career thing, and she was here,” he said, using his hands to indicate how he was above Ryan in the popularity pool at the time. “And then it just [switched] like that,” he said,...

Dennis Quaid is looking back at his previous marriage to Meg Ryan and sharing the best thing that came out of their relationship.

The Reagan actor was recently interviewed on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, where host Chris Wallace asked him if being in the spotlight — and being labeled one of “Hollywood’s golden couples” — impacted their relationship. The pair were married from 1991 to 2001.

“When I met Meg, I was here as far as career thing, and she was here,” Quaid recalled, holding one hand representing himself above his hand representing Ryan. “And then it just [switched] like that,” he added as he inverted his hand positions.

“I try to be a big person and tell myself that it didn’t bother me, but people are human,” Quaid said of his ex-wife’s rising popularity at the time. “She was ascending as I went into rehab.”

However, more than two...

Jack Quaid is widely recognized for his portrayal of Hugh “Hughie” Campbell in The Boys, as well as for his notable voice roles such as Brad Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Clark Kent / Superman in My Adventures with Superman, and Earth-65 Peter Parker / Lizard in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Despite his established career, Quaid is also the son of renowned actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. This familial connection has led some fans to label him a “nepo baby,” short for “nepotism baby,” which refers to individuals who achieve success in careers similar to those of their already prominent parents.

Recently, Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, acknowledged how her parents assisted her in securing her initial roles. Similarly, in a recent discussion, Jack Quaid expressed his acceptance of the “nepo baby” label but emphasized that he believes it has no bearing on his talent.

The young actor Jack Quaid is best known for the role of Hugh “Hughie” Campbell in The Boys, but also for his numerous voice roles which include that of Brad Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Clark Kent / Superman in My Adventures with Superman, and Earth-65 Peter Parker / Lizard in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

And while Quaid is definitely an established name today, the fact is that he is also the son of famous actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, and that is a fact that saw many fans claiming that Jack Quaid is a “nepo baby”, short for “nepotism baby,” a term used for people who have succeeded in careers related to or similar to those of their already successful parents.

Not that long ago, Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, confirmed how her parents helped her land her first roles,...

Jack Quaid doesn’t shy away from being called a “nepo baby.”

“No matter what I do, people are going to call attention to it. People have called me a ‘nepo baby.’ I’m inclined to agree,” said the 32-year-old “The Boys” star, whose parents are Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. “I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle.”

Quaid was asked on The Daily Beast’s “The Last Laugh” podcast if he consciously tried to avoid romantic comedies to avoid comparisons to his mother, whose credits include some of the greatest films in the genre, from “When Harry Met Sally” to “You’ve Got Mail.”

“It was a little bit of a conscious decision to not do it as much. It’s just got to be right, because, you know, my mom is the undisputed queen of rom-coms.

Invention Studios has launched two film and television development programs in Australia and Kenya dedicated to supporting top local writers and creators and bringing their projects to the world market.

Repped by CAA, Invention Studios was founded by CEO Nicholas Weinstock, the well-established producer of hit series such as “Severance” and “Escape at Dannemora.”

“We are thrilled to be expanding our international work to find the greatest emerging creators capable of developing wildly original and world-class movies and shows,” said Weinstock. “The talent, smarts, and ambition of writers and directors in fast-rising markets like Australia and Kenya are obvious. We’re proud and excited to be building innovative launchpads to help those creators generate game-changing films and series that can take the world by surprise — and by storm.”

In Australia, Invention is launching a comedy incubator program devoted to furthering the Australian comedy tradition of classics like “Kath & Kim,...

Exclusive: New Line Cinema is in early development on Isn’t It Scary, a follow-up to its rom-com Isn’t It Romantic starring Rebel Wilson, multiple sources tell Deadline.

April Prosser (Look Both Ways) has been tapped to pen the script. We’re told Todd Garner will produce for Broken Road Productions, alongside frequent collaborators Gina Mathews and Grant Scharbo of Little Engine Entertainment, though these deals haven’t yet closed, as it’s early days here. No other talent attachments have been formalized at this time.

Playfully subverting and satirizing the conventions of the rom-com genre, Isn’t It Romantic grossed over $48 million worldwide upon its release via Warner Bros in 2019. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, the film centers on Natalie (Wilson), an Australian architect living in New York City who is cynical about love and romance. The story takes a fantastical turn when Natalie, after a bump on the head,...

When Mr. & Mrs. Smith was announced as a TV series for Prime Video in 2021, there were plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the project.

It was based on a movie of the same name that did reasonably well but isn't especially well-remembered.

The announced starring duo of Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge was intriguing, especially considering that both performers were credited as creators.

Both had a history of starring in and creating successful series, including Glover with Atlanta and Waller-Bridge with Fleabag. Plus, Waller-Bridge served as the showrunner in the first season of Killing Eve, another prestige series about an assassin.

But then Waller-Bridge dropped out of the project just a few months after it was announced due to "creative differences," with Maya Erskine replacing her as the show's female lead. Glover and Francesca Sloane are credited as the co-creators.

Beyond that, the series had its premiere delayed repeatedly,...

Players is a romantic-comedy film directed by Trish Sie, from a screenplay by Whit Anderson. The Netflix original film follows the story of Mack, a sportswriter who mostly spends her time with her best friend trying to come up and execute new schemes for hooking up with strangers but when Mack finds Nick, she falls heads over heels for him and now instead of coming up with hook up schemes, Mack tries to be in a serious relationship. Players stars are Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Tom Ellis, and Augustus Prew. So, if you loved the rom-com film here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Set It Up (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

If you love characters playing games in romantic comedies then you might find Set It Up, another Netflix original film very interesting. Directed by Claire Scanlon, Set It Up follows the story of two very tired assistants...

Exclusive: Jillian Bell (Brittany Runs a Marathon), Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Damon Wayans Jr. (Players) and Brianne Howey (Ginny & Georgia) have signed on to star alongside Amy Schumer in Kinda Pregnant, the comedy that Tyler Spindel (The Out-Laws) has been set to direct for Netflix and Happy Madison.

Written by Julie Paiva, the film follows Lainy (Schumer), who given jealousy over her best friend’s pregnancy, begins wearing a fake baby bump… then accidentally meeting the man of her dreams.

In addition to Schumer, producers on the project include Adam Sandler, Tim Herlihy, Judit Maull, Kevin Grady and Eli Thomas for Happy Madison, Molly Sims for Something Happy Productions, and Alex Saks for Saks Picture Company. The executive producers are Barry Bernardi and Michael D Robins.

Known for starring roles in indies like Brittany Runs a Marathon and I’m Totally Fine, Bell has more recently been seen...

If the recent box office success of Anyone But You is any indication, we could soon be seeing a rom-com resurgence. From Netflix originals to theatrical releases, audiences want to see good romantic comedies, and actors want to make them. Daniel Radcliffe recently expressed interest in doing a rom-com with Quinta Brunson, and Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal have both agreed to star in one together with the right script. In the last decade, genuinely good romantic comedies have been few and far between, with Netflix constantly churning out mediocre originals that are easy to put on in the background while you scroll through your social media app of choice. It's rare to discover a recent romantic comedy that stars two leads with great chemistry and is actually funny in a way that won't have you rolling your eyes. Luckily, the 2019 hidden gem Plus One, starring Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine,...

Doug Liman's 2005 movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" had a killer premise: What if the two of the hottest people in the world were seemingly living a mundane married life, but neither knew the other was secretly a spy? And what would happen if they were eventually tasked with killing each other? When a TV adaptation was announced, originally meant to star Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it was easy to picture those actors slotting into the archetypes from Liman's film. You could picture a simple version of what that show would look like. And it might have been pleasant, given the inherent charisma of both of those actors.

But thankfully, as the first trailer shows, this show isn't interested in being a beat for beat remake of the film. Similar to the way series like "Fargo," "Westworld," and "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" took inspiration from their cinematic forebears and...

Prime Video has released the trailer for its adaptation of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. The series will launch all eight episodes on Feb. 2.

Drawing from the 2005 film of the same name, the series sees the two actors take on the roles originated by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The series’ description reads, “Meet The Smiths: Two strangers, John and Jane, who have given up their lives and identities to be thrown together as partners – both in espionage and in marriage.”

Along with starring, Glover also produces the series, marking his latest project with Prime Video following the satirical comedy horror series “Swarm.” He co-created “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” alongside Francesca Sloane. In addition to Glover and Erskine, the series also stars Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Michaela Cole, John Turturro and Paul Dano.

Hiro Murai, who has collaborated with Glover before on “Guava Island” and...

Garth Brooks has taken his country music to Las Vegas and isn’t going anywhere else any time soon.

Back in May, the “Friends in Low Places” singer began his concert residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and will be there until December 16. He’ll be taking a break for a few months after but is scheduled to return to the Colosseum on April 18 next year.

Last week, Brooks performed at the opening of his new bar in Nashville, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk.

“This town has been amazing to me,” Brooks said during his performance in Nashville. “When this [opportunity] popped up, the thought was, does Garth Brooks owe Nashville? You bet Garth Brooks owes Nashville.”

He then went on to explain the reason he named his bar after his hit song.

“You can like Garth Brooks. You can not like Garth Brooks. Either way,...

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions added to its executive team Monday with the hiring of Scott Landsman and Melissa Fried, Seven Bucks president of production Hiram Garcia announced.

Landsman joins the production company as head of television while Fried joins as VP of film development and production. In their new roles, Landsman and Fried will oversee Seven Bucks’ production and development slate as the studio continues to grow since its 2012 launch.

“This is an extremely exciting moment for Seven Bucks, as we expand our team with two top-quality executives. Scott has consistently shown his ability to create some of television’s most appealing shows, and his expertise will be invaluable as Seven Bucks continues to scale its television endeavors,” Garcia said in a statement.

“On the film side,” the statement continued, “Melissa’s brilliant instincts on content and her unique ability to partner with and cultivate...

Exclusive: Dave Devries has joined Mark Amin and Cami Winikoff’s Sobini as Vice President, Deadline can reveal. In his new role, he will oversee development across film and TV for the company’s producing and financing endeavors.

Devries joins from Rob Hardy’s Rainforest Entertainment, where he served as Head of Development for a little over two years, overseeing the company’s slate of film projects and series through their first-look deal with Lionsgate Television. Past roles have had him overseeing development across drama and comedy, TV and film, live-action and animation, as with series for HBO Max, Peacock, ABC, NBC, Fox, Freeform, USA, Syfy, YouTube Red and others. Select feature experience includes Shudder’s horror anthology V/H/S/94, and as a co-producer, Plus One, the 2019 romantic comedy starring Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine, which won the Audience Award at the 2019 Tribeca Festival.

“Dave is the perfect person to join our team,...

Jack Quaid has a tough time going to Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City for a very, um, “unique” reason.

Quaid, whose mother is “When Harry Met Sally” icon Meg Ryan, admitted that it’s a “very unique embarrassment” to be in the deli where Ryan faked an orgasm for the beloved rom-com.

“It’s funny, my son [Jack Quaid] just called me this morning and he’s in New York staying at a hotel that’s right across the street from Katz’s Deli,” Ryan told Interview magazine while in conversation with Carol Burnett. “My daughter [Daisy True Ryan] was here and everybody was on speaker, and they were like, ‘Mom, this is a very unique embarrassment.'”

Ryan continued of Quaid, “He said, ‘You know you can go into that deli and there’s an arrow pointing down to the table where you shot that scene.'”

Quaid admitted to InStyle in 2019 that while filming Hulu rom-com “Plus One,...

Speedy Ortiz have unveiled “Ghostwriter,” another look at their upcoming album Rabbit Rabbit. Listen to the single below.

As a nu-metal homage, “Ghostwriter” finds Sadie Dupuis seething with rage — a reasonable reaction to this summer’s boiling heat, and what that means for the future ahead. Rather than breaking stuff, however, the bandleader tries to find a more productive release.

“While ‘Ghostwriter’ ruminates on the horrible realities that stoke my anger — in this song’s case, the death of our climate and the criminalization of environmental protesters — it’s also about trying to live with less rage in the day-to-day,” Dupuis explained in a statement. “And not always succeeding, but not getting mad about that, either. And sometimes directing that angry adrenaline toward positive actions.”

Dupuis continued, “My bandmates picked ‘Ghostwriter’ as a single, perhaps because it subtly nods to our unabashed love of nu-metal. It was really fun to...

Speedy Ortiz have returned with “Plus One,” the latest single off their forthcoming album Rabbit Rabbit. The band also announced a number of additional dates for their 2023 tour.

A high-energy waltz taking cues from the “Texan post-hardcore” that bandleader Sadie Dupuis loved as a teen, “Plus One” tackles the topic of trauma through a personal lens. The song was co-produced by Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin and blends Dupuis’ resonant lyrics with a tom-driven drum beat, layers of fuzzy guitars, and shiny, double-tracked vocals.

The single also arrived with a music video directed by Dylan Mars Greenberg. Inspired by campy, monster horror movies, the video depicts a “giant” rabbit on a Godzilla-esque rampage destroying the Earth. Watch the video below.

Speaking of the song’s meaning in a statement, Dupuis revealed that she began exploring new songwriting topics in the downtime that the Covid-19 pandemic afforded her. “I found myself ruminating...

Speedy Ortiz have announced Rabbit Rabbit, their first album in over five years, due out September 1st on bandleader Sadie Dupuis’ label Wax Nine. They’ve also shared the album’s lead single “You S02,” and announced US tour dates for 2023.

“You S02” is rife with Speedy Ortiz’s signature poppy, ’90s style guitar rock a-la Splendora. Like previously-released single “Scabs,” it gets lyrically personal in Dupuis’ experience with some of her musical heroes, this time diving deeper into the ones who could use a little more humility.

The song title pulls from the Netflix series You, referencing how Penn Badgely’s character moves from one coast to another without at all becoming a better person. “Changing cities won’t make you a hero if you still treat others badly,” Dupuis said in a press release.

Speedy Ortiz’s US tour dates will start in Chicago July 28th, periodically taking...

Latino-owned global entertainment company Fuse Media on Tuesday announced exclusively to TheWrap the launch of Ignition Studios, a separate production consultancy that will be headed up by Fuse Studios VP Jon Scarlett.

Former Broadway Video and Comedy Central executives Jennifer Danielson, Mitch Lewis and Steve Elliott have been brought in to lead the initial effort in building out Ignition along with Fuse Media head of development Sydney Kim.

“Fuse Media is succeeding in our mission to deliver uplifting content to young, culturally diverse audiences both in the U.S. and around the world, as evidenced by our growing global footprint,” said Miguel Roggero, chairman and CEO of Fuse Media.

“With our strong history of engagement and years of proprietary research into what young, multicultural viewers actually want, Ignition will develop and produce IP with our clients to help them build a bridge to their audiences with stories that mirror their values and life experiences,...

American Horror Story actress Emma Roberts is set to star in the new comedy Hot Mess, playing a woman whose personal life implodes on a TV dating show who has to take the ultimate walk of shame back to her hometown.

TV director Katie Locke O’Brien (Ghosts, Blockbuster) will helm Hot Mess in her feature debut from a script by Gabrielle D’Amico. Debbie Liebling (South Park, Plus One), Maggie Malina (Resort To Love), and Laura Lewis (Mr. Malcolm’s List, Tell Me Lies) are producing. Currently, in pre-production, Hot Mess is set to begin principal photography in early 2024.

Mister Smith Entertainment is handling international sales and will launch the project at the Cannes film market next week. Laura Lewis at Rebelle Media is representing North American rights.

Roberts, who will appear alongside Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in the upcoming Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, will play Laurel Mack (Emma Roberts), a...

Kristen Stewart has joined the cast of her ex-partner Michael Angarano's road-trip comedy 'Sacramento'.The 'Spencer' actress will star alongside the 'This Is Us' star, who is helming the flick, Michael Cera, and Angarano's fiancée and mother of his young son Leon Frederick, Maya Erskine, 35.The motion picture "follows Rickey (Angarano), an energetic and free-spirited young man, and Glenn (Cera), his long-time friend who’s settled into domestic life. On an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento, their past comes into focus and questions their future."Stewart will portray Glenn’s wife, Rosie, and 'Plus One' star Erskine has been cast as Rickey’s wife, Tallie.Aj Mendez, Iman Karam, and Rosalind Chao are also among the cast.The former pair will "play best friends and ex-professional fighters who help teach Rickey and Glenn about their own relationship."Bee-Hive Production’s Stephen Braun,...

Exclusive: Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) has joined the cast of director Josh Webber’s holiday pic Athena Saves Christmas, with Christina Cooper coming aboard as producer.

The film follows Samuel (Paxton Kubitz) and his friends, along with Sam’s trusted dog Athena, on an adventure of a lifetime, as they match wits with a mob boss and look to solve a series of riddles, in order to save Christmas for their town.

Webber is also producing for Webber Films, alongside Michael Girgenti, Henry Penzi and Cooper. Tony Mercedes and Tamara Johnson are serving as EPs, with Robert Miano (Fast & Furious), Richard Portnow (Hitchcock), Mars Callahan, Glenn Plummer, Kaitlyn Raymond and more rounding out the cast. Gooding Jr. is repped by manager and attorney Peter Toumbekis.

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Liam O’Donnell, Chad Law

Exclusive: Liam O’Donnell (XYZ Films’ Skyline franchise) has been tapped to direct the action-thriller Triggermen...

Exclusive: Sony has added Michelle Hurd (Star Trek: Picard), Bryan Brown (Australia), Darren Barnet (Gran Turismo) and Hadley Robinson (Moxie) to the cast of their as-yet-untitled rom-com from director Will Gluck (Easy A). Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell will lead the ensemble, as previously announced, with Alexandra Shipp also featuring.

Details as to the plot of the R-rated comedy are under wraps. But it’s based on a script by Ilana Wolpert that Gluck is re-writing. Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Gluck are producing, with Sweeney exec producing for Fifty-Fifty Films, alongside Natalie Sellers and Alyssa Altman for Rk Films, and Jacqueline Monetta for Olive Bridge.

Perhaps best known for starring opposite Patrick Stewart on Paramount+’s Star Trek: Picard, Hurd has also been seen on series including Blindspot, Lethal Weapon, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Glades, to name a few. Notable film credits include Bad Hair,...

Nicole Kidman is headed back to HBO with another limited series, teaming with “Pen15” co-creator and star Maya Erskine to adapt the Leïla Slimani novel “The Perfect Nanny.” The duo will executive produce and headline the project, of which Erskine is creator and writer.

Legendary Entertainment and HBO serve as co-studios after what was described as a highly competitive bidding situation.

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Nicole Kidman to Receive AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023

The book’s logline is as follows: “When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another,...

HBO is developing the Leïla Slimani novel “The Perfect Nanny” into a limited series. Maya Erskine creates and writes the series, and will star opposite Nicole Kidman. Both also serve as executive producers for the project, which comes from Legendary Entertainment along with HBO.

Published in 2016, “The Perfect Nanny” was inspired by the real-life murder of Lucia and Leo Krim by their nanny in 2012. In the series, a seemingly perfect nanny goes to work for a couple with two young children, but her helpful personality eventually deteriorates into something sinister.

Erskine is best known for co-creating and starring in the Hulu comedy series “Pen-15” with Anna Konkle. She is currently in production on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” at Amazon Prime Video, which she stars in opposite Donald Glover. Erskine’s other prominent credits include playing Maggie in “Man Seeking Woman” on Fxx, Mikki in “Betas” on Amazon Prime Video, Diane...

The Gersh Agency has promoted literary agent Sandra Lucchesi and talent agent Matt Vioral to partners, expanding its total leadership to 28 people.

Gersh, which ranks as the lone privately-owned full service agency, makes the move amid consolidation and rapid ground-shifting in the representation landscape. A spokesperson told Variety the elevations serve to “highlight the strength and history of our resources while taking advance of our business around multi-hyphenate clients.”

Agency co-presidents David and Bob Gersh, along with managing partner Leslie Siebert, said they were “very proud of the leadership Sandra and Matt have brought to the agency and their respective departments and how well respected they are by their industry peers. We are thrilled to promote them both to partner.”

Lucchesi has been involved with award winning films, representing notable writers and writer-directors such as Andrea Arnold, Oscar winner Kevin Willmott (“BlacKkKlansman”), Richie Mehta (“Amal”), Anna Konkle (“Plus One”), Vera Herbert...

Exclusive: Studio71 has signed a development deal with FGTeeV, one of the largest family gaming properties on YouTube with 42 million combined subscribers, to develop and produce an animated series. They will partner with Cartoon Conrad Prods.

Their new show titled n00bies will be a coming-of-age story focused on a father and son relationship set amid a backdrop of video game culture. The hope is that it will evoke nostalgia for viewers who have experienced the evolution of games and consoles over the years.

N00bies joins a growing slate of scripted programming from Studio71 that includes The Guava Juice Show for YouTube Kids, starring digital star Roi Fabito; Hulu’s Plus One, starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid; the Mr. Mom series; and the forthcoming animated comedy series Obi, an adaptation of Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic strip, produced alongside Michael B Jordan’s Outlier Society.

The animated...

Exclusive: Mob Games is partnering with Studio71 to develop and produce a film based on its popular video game Poppy Playtime—one the companies hope will be the first in a horror franchise.

The first installment of Poppy Playtime was released by Mob Games in October of 2021. In the game, a former employee of Playtime Co. receives a cryptic message on a VHS tape. The tape prompts him to revisit an abandoned Playtime toy factory following the mysterious disappearance of their entire staff, which happened 10 years prior. From that point forward, the goal of the game is to explore the factory by solving various puzzles while avoiding terrifying enemies in order to uncover the mystery of what happened to the missing staff. Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 was announced this month, with its launch video making it to #3 on YouTube’s trending page.

Studio71 is fast-tracking the project and is already out...

Ben Stiller’s former production partner Nicholas Weinstock has struck a first-look deal with Fremantle.

Weinstock’s Invention Studios, which he founded at the back end of 2021, will develop and produce TV, new media and podcasts under terms of the agreement.

Lorenzo De Maio, whose De Maio Entertainment counts Fremantle as a backer, will be a strategic advisor and partner across the Invention slate.

Fremantle will also support Weinstock’s other venture, Craft Services, an online network and support system for emerging writers and directors.

Weinstock was the creative head of Stiller’s Red Hour Films, developing and exec producing Showtime’s limited series Escape at Dannemora among other projects.

He is also producer of Hulu movie Plus One, Netflix films Alex Strangelove and The Package and Paramount+’s Queenpins and developed and executive produced Apple TV+’s series Severance and EPed its upcoming High Desert, starring Patricia Arquette.

“Nicky...

Olivia Mascheroni has joined Verve Ventures. She will be part of a growing independent sales and financing team that is led by Amy Beecroft and Ross Putman.

Mascheroni most recently served as director of Ddvelopment at Madre Venturers, a venture capital firm, and served as executive of new media at The Blacklist prior to that. She has also held positions at both Blumhouse and CAA, where she worked in both the Television and Motion Picture Literary Departments.

“Coming over feels like coming home,” says Mascheroni. “I know so many of the people who work here and admire what they do. And there’s such a great creative approach to things that offers a lot to filmmakers and allows us to make great independent projects.”

Verve’s talent team has quadrupled in size since last year and the film team says it expects to continue expanding.

“Olivia is joining us because...

Exclusive: Brandon Kyle Goodman, an actor, writer and activist who hit on a career breakthrough as part of the team behind Netflix’s critically acclaimed animated series Big Mouth, has signed with WME for representation in all areas.

Goodman got his start as a writer on Big Mouth‘s staff and voices its queer lovebug character Walter, first introduced in Season 5. He is set to reprise the role as a lead in the Big Mouth spinoff, Human Resources, for which he also writes, with that series set to debut on Netflix on March 18. In his time with Big Mouth, he also helped create and launch the show’s mentorship program for aspiring Black writers in animation, known as the Brutus Pink x The Black Folx Initiative.

Goodman has partnered with Endeavor Content and Joel Stillerman’s Content Superba to develop What Am I?, an original scripted series he’s creating,...

Emmy- and DGA Award-winning actor, director, writer and producer Ben Stiller, and his production company Red Hour have inked with UTA in all areas. Stiller was previously with WME. This marks a return for Stiller to UTA, the firm having repped him earlier in his career.

The actor and filmmaker counts $3 billion at the WW box office. His credits include major feature franchises such as Meet the Parents and Night at the Museum, the animated Madagascar films, the cult comedy Zoolander, and critically acclaimed arthouse hits such as The Royal Tenenbaums and Flirting With Disaster, and Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, While We’re Young and Netflix’s The Meyerowitz Stories, in addition to the hit comedies There’s Something About Mary and the Oscar nominated Tropic Thunder, which he starred in, directed, co-wrote, and produced under his production company, Red Hour.

Stiller is currently in post on the Apple+ workplace thriller, Severance,...

Emmy- and DGA award-winning actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller has signed with UTA for representation in all areas. Stiller was represented by the agency earlier in his career and returns from WME.

The multi-hyphenate entertainer has earned nearly $3 billion at the box office thanks to major feature franchises such as “Meet the Parents” and “Night at the Museum,” the animated “Madagascar” films, plus hit comedies like “Zoolander,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “Tropic Thunder,” which he starred in, directed, co-wrote, and produced under his production company, Red Hour. Stiller has also starred in critically acclaimed arthouse hits such as “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Flirting With Disaster,” Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg,” “While We’re Young” and “The Meyerowitz Stories.”

UTA will also rep Stiller’s Red Hour production banner, which he launched in 1998. The company has produced a wide range of film and television projects with major studios and networks including Netflix, Disney,...

Although Karin Konoval has co-starred in family fare such as Netflix’s The Baby-Sitter’s Club and a live-action take on Woody Woodpecker, she’s a more recognizable actress among adults than kids.

That could change when Konoval plays a dastardly and criminally inclined art collector named Ingrid Ravensworth in the new Disney Channel movie Under Wraps. A remake of the beloved 1997 mummy-buddy movie of the same name, it premieres Friday at 8/7c. (Check out the exclusive clip above.)

More from TVLineUnder Wraps: Watch Trailer for Remake of First Disney Channel Original MovieSpin Cast Says Disney Channel Movie Moves the...

Exclusive: Jon Bass (Miracle Workers) is set as a lead opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kyle Chandler in the first installment of Super Pumped, Showtime’s anthology series from Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The installment, which is based on Mike Isaac’s bestselling book Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, tells the story of the ride-sharing company that stands out as both a marvel and a cautionary tale, featuring internal and external battles that ripple with unpredictable consequences.

Pivoting on Travis Kalanick (Gordon-Levitt), Uber’s hard-charging CEO who ultimately was ousted in a boardroom coup, the series will depict the roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company, embodying the highs and lows of Silicon Valley.

Bass will play Garrett Camp, the man with the original billion-dollar idea for Uber.

Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti and Mousa Hussein Kraish also star.

Each season of the Super Pumped anthology series will...

No Black artists have won more Primetime Emmys than multi-camera cinematographer Donald A. Morgan and reality star RuPaul Charles. As it happens they both have multiple nominations this year. Will they add to their historic awards hauls?

Morgan currently holds the record as the most awarded Black individual at the Emmys with 10 trophies on his mantel, and a whopping seven of those came for his lighting direction for “Home Improvement”. Recently he won three more times for his multi-camera cinematography on Netflix’s “The Ranch” and is the defending champion in his category.

SEE2021 Emmy predictions slugfest: Can anything take down frontrunner ‘Ted Lasso’ in Best Comedy Series? [Watch]

And the odds seem pretty good that he’ll win again since he has three out of the five nominations for Best Multi-Camera Cinematography this year. “The Ranch” ended its run last season, so that’s out, but instead he contends for...

One of the more entertaining films I saw back at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival was the punk rock rom-com Dinner in America. Directed by Adam Rehmeier and produced by Ben Stiller and Ross Putman, the film surprisingly still hasn’t been picked up for a U.S. release, but it’s now arriving in the U.K. and the first trailer has landed for the occasion.

In a dreary Midwestern suburb, aggro punk rocker Simon (Kyle Gallner) finds himself on the run again after a bout of arson and a close call with the police. A chance encounter with the spirited and socially awkward Patty (Emily Skeggs) provides him a place to lay low. As the two embark on a series of misadventures, they begin to realize they have a lot more in common than they first expected.

Watch below.

Dinner in America is now available digitally in the UK.

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Amazon Studios has picked up the original action-adventure spec script Valor from writers Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer. Kelly McCormick and David Leitch of 87North are on board to produce the feature.

In Valor, a marauding warrior from a popular video game dies in a freak accident. He is reincarnated in our world and discovers the god he’s always worshipped turns out to be a 13-year-old Asian kid from New Jersey adjusting to life with a single parent. The project is billed as a four-quadrant family movie, repping 87North’s first foray in that space. Word is Amazon picked up the project for high six figures.

Chan and Rhymer are currently writing and will direct Netflix’s Girls & Boys with Kenya Barris and Antoni Porowski (Queer Eye) producing, as well as Singles Day for New Line Cinema with Good Fear producing. Previously, they wrote...

HBO Max is rounding out cast for its comedy pilot Ok Boomer. Will Sasso and Tim Chiou are set as series regulars, along with Zoe Manarel and Carter Chee in the multi-camera comedy pilot from creator Todd Linden, the late Jamie Tarses’ Fanfare and Sony Pictures TV. They join previously announced series regulars Patti Lupone, Erinn Hayes and Devere Rogers.

Written by Linden and to be directed by Victor Gonzalez, Ok Boomer centers on Barbara (LuPone), a self-centered boomer who shows up at her estranged daughter Sarah’s (Hayes) house hoping to live off the family’s money, but forms an unexpected bond with her progressive granddaughter who’s quick to challenge her on their differing views — of which there are plenty.

Sasso will play Nick,...

Exclusive: Studio71, the Red Arrow Studios-owned company behind Maya Erskine comedy Plus One, is developing a TV series with Michael Younesi, director of Netflix series Project Mc2.

Younesi has created and written Lost Island, an adventure mystery series.

Inspired by Tiki culture and folklore from the South Pacific, Lost Island follows a family as they move to a remote tropical island to fix up a dilapidated resort hotel. Soon after they arrive, the family comes to discover that both the hotel property and the Island itself are haunted by ancient mysteries that threaten to destroy the Island.

The series reunites Younesi with Studio71, which he worked together with on Walmart-financed family film, Adventure Force 5, starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Ernie Hudson, and is based on the retailer’s popular toy line of the same name.

It is the latest project for Studio71. The company’s Facebook Watch show Real Bros of Simi Valley,...

(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Movie: Plus One Where You Can Stream It: Hulu The Pitch: Two friends in their early thirties decide to run the gauntlet of wedding season by being each other’s dates for every […]

The post The Quarantine Stream: Maya Erskine Shines in ‘Plus One’ appeared first on /Film.

Holidate has maintained a spot in Netflix's Top 10 since its release on Oct. 28, but let's be real: the film is a flimsy excuse for a holiday movie - in fact, it isn't one. No matter how many fleeting ugly Christmas sweaters, picturesque locations, and holiday-themed posters the factory-made film throws at us, Holidate is still Not a Christmas movie. Nor is it, unfortunately, a good romantic comedy.

Ok, yes, the movie does start on Christmas. Sloane (Emma Roberts) is still reeling six months after catching her French boyfriend cheating on her with a Starbucks barista named Rainbow. Insert tired jokes about sitting at the kids' table and dying alone. Meanwhile, her equally cynical yet far more charismatic counterpart Jackson (Luke Bracey) receives oral sex as bland as the three khakis he later opens, and he finds out the girl he casually was hooking up with is "crazy" because "that's...