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Hannes Þór Halldórsson, a football goalkeeper who plays for Valur Reykjavík and the Iceland national team, world premiered his feature-length directing debut Cop Secret in the Locarno Film Festival's international competition. Halldórsson shot a genre spoof with a progressive bent crashing through the wall of heteronormativity. Oscillating between pastiche and parody of 80s and 90s buddy cop flicks, the director packs as many Hollywood action film clichés as he can carry, transplants them into Reykjavík, and starts twisting the tropes for a juicy affair. In doing so, Halldórsson appears to be plainly stating that buddy action films are just thinly veiled romances. Bussi (Audunn Blöndal) is a cocky bad-ass cop, breaking rules and winning acclaim despite his reputation as a troublemaker and rebel. After a...

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“Star Trek” universe showrunner Alex Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout have signed a new overall production deal with CBS through 2026, the network announced Sunday.

Under this new deal, Secret Hideout will expand to include new executives for the growing slate of shows and development, and CBS will have exclusive rights to develop and produce Secret Hideout content on all platforms including Paramount+.

“Extending our valuable partnership with the brilliant Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout has been a top priority for CBS and Paramount+,” George Cheeks, President and CEO of CBS, said in a statement. “Alex’s vision and leadership of the Star Trek franchise and his ability to create artistic and commercial series across all platforms put him in a special class of creative talent. His substantial accomplishments at CBS and the spirit of collaboration we enjoy with his team are greatly valued and we are excited to...

Alex Kurtzman, the top producer on CBS Studios’ roster and architect of the studio’s Star Trek universe, has closed a massive new nine-figure overall deal there for his Secret Hideout banner. No financial terms are being disclosed but I hear the pact is in the $150 million range, putting Kurtzman in the very top tier of television writer-producers.

The agreement will keep Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout at CBS Studios through 2026, giving the studio exclusive rights to the company’s projects for all platforms, including a series adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates.” Additionally, Kurtzman will remain at the helm of the growing Star Trek franchise for the next six years. Heather Kadin will continue to lead the Secret Hideout content team, along with SVP Aaron Baiers and director of development Robyn Johnson. Under the new deal, Secret Hideout will expand its ranks with additional executive hires.

Google’s latest playable “Doodle” unsurprisingly celebrates the ongoing 2021 Tokyo Olympic games but surprisingly furthers that event’s prominent video game theme by paying tribute to some of the most notable RPGs of the 8 and 16-bit eras.

The “lore” behind this Doodle game is strangely compelling. It casts you as a cat tasked with exploring Champion Island: a “world filled with seven sports mini-games, legendary opponents, dozens of daring side quests, and a few new (and old) friends.” Your goal is to choose a faction, compete in various sports events, find seven sacred scrolls, and perhaps finish a few optional challenges found throughout Champion Island.

The bulk of the Doodle consists of several Olympics-inspired minigames that are all relatively simple from a mechanical standpoint, but greatly benefit from both their accessibility and how they contribute to the Doodle’s surprisingly engaging theme. They also theoretically serve as the basis for...