A24 is adding to its partnership with megastar Zendaya and her film on the life of singer Ronnie Spector. Barry Jenkins is coming aboard to direct and Dave Kajganich has been tapped to write an original screenplay. Zendaya will play the legendary songstress. She and Jenkins, who’d been looking to work together for some time, agreed on a version of Spector’s story that could immerse audiences in the singer’s life with the troubled producer Phil Spector rather than a traditional cradle-to-the-grave biopic, according to sources. Deadline understands that the deals for Spector’s life rights and for Be My Baby, the memoir she wrote with Vince Waldron, remain intact. The film is in development with Kajganich (whose credits include Luca Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash and Suspiria) looking to deliver the expressive interpretation of Spector’s life that Zendaya and Jenkins expect. >>> Zendaya Among Producers |
|
| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
|
A Deal For 'The Dealer' - In a very competitive situation, Apple TV+ has landed The Dealer, a drama starring Oscar winner Jessica Chastain and Oscar nominee Adam Driver, with a straight-to-series order. The Dealer is described as an exploration of power, class and seduction set inside the glittering world of the high-end art market told through the eyes of an aspiring gallerist, played by Chastain, and the tangled relationship with her most gifted and unnerving artist, played by Driver. >>> Media Res’ 4th Series For Apple Doc "Tuah" - Haliey Welch, the young woman who became famous overnight after the release of the viral “hawk tuah” video, will be the subject of an upcoming documentary. Emmy-winning production company Bungalow Media + Entertainment is developing the project. >>>Pamela Anderson Comparison
Sunset For Sundance In Park City? - With just two days to go until Utah’s governor either signs or vetos a controversial bill that would ban the Pride Flag from government buildings in the state, the chances of Sundance staying in the Beehive State aren’t looking good, at least according to Park City's mayor. >>>Serious Headwinds
A 'Murdle' Mystery - The murder mystery TV series resurgence continues. In a competitive situation, Amazon MGM Studios has landed for development Murdle, a scripted adaptation of G. T. Karber’s multi-volume collection of murder mystery puzzles, from Legendary Television. >>>In The Vein Of 'Knives Out'
Doc Talk: 'The Cult At The End Of The World' - On Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, co-hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey discuss a shocking documentary that has just premiered in cinemas and will be released Friday on digital platforms: AUM: The Cult at the End of the World. It examines a Japanese religious movement that orchestrated a deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system. >>> Listen
|
|
In the pilot of Apple TV+’s The Studio, Seth Rogen’s Matt Remick — the bumbling yet passionate newly appointed head of the fictional Continental Studios — shoots himself in the foot.
The first installment sees Matt struggling to gain his C-(suite) legs; in his frenetic attempts to please everybody, he accidentally kills Martin Scorsese’s final film about Jonestown, driving the auteur to tears and leading Charlize Theron to exile him from the hottest party in Tinseltown (both excellent cameos).
The fast-paced satire, co-created by Rogen and longtime partner Evan Goldberg — along with Pete Huyck (Veep), Alex Gregory and Frida Perez — explores the tension inherent in filmmaking as both an art form and a business.
Here, the multi-Emmy-nominated executive producing, writing and directing duo behind fare from Superbad to The Boys chats with Deadline about the “high stakes” world of entertainment and what inspired them to take a swing with their inside baseball workplace comedy. >>>Read The Interview |
|
Exclusive
HBO continues to put together the cast puzzle of its high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular Harry Potter fantasy books. The latest major piece appears to be British actor-comedian Nick Frost, who is nearing a deal to play half-giant Rubeus Hagrid.
Exclusive
Gemma Arterton has revealed to Deadline that she will star in the five-part ITV adaptation of Tom Bradby’s spy thriller Secret Service. She’ll play a senior UK intelligence officer who goes rogue in order to uncover a Russian mole embedded in the highest echelons of the British government.
Exclusive
Rowan Blanchard (Poker Face) and Mattea Conforti (Power) have joined the series regular cast of Hulu‘s The Handmaid’s Tale sequel series The Testaments.
Disney Branded Television has rounded out the cast for the upcoming limited, four-episode revival of Malcolm In the Middle on Disney+. Original cast members Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield are set to reprise their roles as Malcolm’s older brothers Francis and Reese. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is taking over the role of genius Malcolm’s younger brother, Dewey.
Exclusive
Martin Sensmeier has been tapped for a major recurring role on the upcoming second season of Prime Video’s action thriller The Terminal List, headlined and executive produced by Chris Pratt.
In Brief - Roy Wood Jr. to host 2025 Peabody Awards... Jesse Armstrong’s HBO movie about billionaires adds seven... Garcelle Beauvais exits Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills after 5 seasons |
|
BY THE NUMBERS
40 - Number of FAST channels NBCUniversal will launch on LG smart-TVs under a newly expanded partnership |
|
More News
📱 The Atlantic has published the U.S. attack plans that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared on the Signal messaging app. Hegseth discuss the military action in a group chat that included other top Trump administration officials and, by mistake, the media outlet’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
🎭 Good Night, And Good Luck, the new play at the 1,545-seat Winter Garden Theatre co-written by and starring George Clooney in his Broadway debut, shattered the weekly box office record for a play last week by grossing $3,305,240 for just seven preview performances.
🕷️ Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and LD Entertainment have officially picked up North America on the Bill Condon directed, Jennifer Lopez starring feature musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was one of the most buzzed about titles at this year’s Sundance. A fall wide theatrical release has been set just in time for awards season.
🦖 Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth topped a ranking compiled by digital outlet Fandango of moviegoers’ most-anticipated releases of summer 2025.
✝️ Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios, has said Mel Gibson plans to begin production on The Resurrection of The Christ at the studio in August. Cacciamani let news of the production start date slip during an interview with Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. |
|
On the Radar
Thu - A Complete Unknown drops on Hulu; Brett Baier interviews Elon Musk
Sat - PaleyFest LA begins; Mikey Madison hosts SNL
Mon - CinemaCon begins |
|
'Modern' Times - Nathan Lee Graham, Nathan Lane, Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment and Matt Bomer at the L.A. premiere of Hulu's new series Mid-Century Modern at the DGA Theater Complex. |
|
|
