Blake Griffin & Ryan Kalil’s Mortal Media Inks First-Look Film & TV Deal With Sony Pictures Entertainment

EXCLUSIVE: Sharp Objects developer/executive producer Marti Noxon is reuniting with eOne, the indie studio behind the Emmy-nominated HBO drama, with a two-year exclusive first-look deal for television and new media.

EXCLUSIVE: Joaquina Kalukango (Lovecraft Country), Lonnie Chavis (This is Us), Rob Morgan (Mudbound), Ryan O’Nan (Queen of the South), and Justin Hurtt-Dunkley (Mare Of Easttown) have been tapped for key recurring roles opposite David Oyelowo and Dennis Quaid in Bass Reeves, from Yellowstone co-creator/showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

BreAnna Bell Garrett Hedlund has been cast in a recurring guest role in Taylor Sheridan’s forthcoming “Bass Reeves” series set at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. He’ll portray Garrett Montgomery, a so-called posse man of the era who Bass hires for his riding know-how and expertise of the area. She joins previously announced stars including lead and executive producer David Oyelowo, and series regulars Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck and Barry Pepper. Dennis Quaid and Grantham Coleman will also appear in recurring roles. Hedlund can currently be seen in Paramount+’s “Tulsa King” and will next star in the film “The Tutor,” which is scheduled March 24th theater release. He recently completed production on the films “Desperation Road” opposite Mel Gibson and “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” co-starring Ben Mendelson and Daisy Ridley. His other credits include Lee Daniels’ “Mudbound,” “On the Road,” “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” “Mojave,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Pan,” “Unbroken,” “Tron: Legacy,” and “Country Strong.”

Writer-director and producer Craig Gillespie has signed a first look deal with Tomorrow Studios, a division of ITV Studios.The deal solidifies and expands the Australian filmmaker’s relationship with the company, with which he already collaborates on Season 3 of “Physical.” Gillespie serves as a director and executive producer on the Apple TV+ series, along with Tomorrow Studios’ CEO Marty Adelstein and president Becky Clements.Gillespie recently executive produced and directed episodes of “Mike” and “Pam & Tommy.” His film work includes the Oscar-winning “I, Tonya,” “Cruella,” and “Lars and the Real Girl.” He’s slated to direct a “Chippendales” movie starring Elle Fanning and Seth Rogen, as well as the sequel to “Cruella” and “Dumb Money,” a star-studded dramedy about the Wall Street GameStop debacle.“I’m thrilled to be working with Marty, Becky and the team at Tomorrow Studios,” said Gillespie in a press statement. “Their taste, independence and fearlessness with material are exactly what I was looking for to expand what I’m doing in television!”“As we continue studio growth, having likeminded partners becomes of even greater importance, and we share with Craig a great passion for producing compelling scripted television projects.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Shea Whigham has been cast in a recurring guest star role in the “Bass Reeves” series currently in production for Paramount+, Variety has learned. David Oyelowo stars in the series based on the life of the titular legendary law man. The series also stars Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, Grantham Coleman, and Demi Singleton. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Sony Pictures has won global distribution rights to the hot comedy package “My Ex-Friend’s Wedding,” a script co-written by buzzy author Taylor Jenkins Reid starring a murderers’ row of funny women. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, “Saturday Night Live” breakout Chloe Fineman, Amanda Seyfried and Megan Stalter are set as the core ensemble. The film follows four childhood best friends who receive a drunken voicemail from a former BFF on the eve of her wedding day — confessing that she thinks she’s making a mistake. The group sets out to stop her wedding and rekindle the friendship they once shared. Comedy vet Kay Cannon, whose 2019 feature directorial debut “Blockers” over-performed at the box office, is directing. The script is from Ashley Rodger and Jenkins Reid. The latter could not be hotter at the moment, as the series adaptation of her novel “Daisy Jones & The Six” is about to hit Amazon Prime Video. Additional Jenkins Reed books are headed to the screen at Hulu (“Malibu Rising”) and Netflix (“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”).

Dua Lipa was spotted holding hands with a new man.

Legendary’s “The Book of Clarence” has been dated to be released by Sony on Sept. 22, the studio announced on Thursday.Inspired by classic Hollywood epics set in biblical times, “The Book of Clarence” tells the tale of Clarence, a down on his luck denizen of Jerusalem embarking on a misguided attempt to capitalize on the rise of celebrity and influence of the Messiah for his own personal gain – a journey that leads him on an exploration of the idea of faith and to a highly unexpected path of his own.The Legendary Pictures film will reteam Samuel with Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield in the title role as well as Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, BAFTA winner James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, BAFTA nominee David Oyelowo, Oscar and BAFTA nominee Alfre Woodard and Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Sony has just dated Legendary’s Jeymes Samuel’s Biblical-time set feature The Book of Clarence for Sept. 22 this year.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sony Pictures Classics has bought “The Teachers’ Lounge,” Ilker Çatak’s drama which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, for North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe (excluding Hungary). “The Teachers’ Lounge” marks the fourth feature from Çatak, who co-wrote the screenplay with Johannes Duncker. The movie played in the Panorama section and won the Europa Cinemas Label award for Best European film, as well as the CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award. Produced by Ingo Fliess and shot by award-winning cinematographer Judith Kaufmann (“Corsage”), “The Teachers’ Lounge” stars Leonine Benesch (“The Crown”), Michael Klammer, Rafael Stachowiak, and Eva Löbau.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

the streamer this month.Among them are “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” starring Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a Black butler who worked in the White House for 50 years. Oprah Winfrey plays his wife Gloria.

Dua Lipa is holding hands with a new man! On Tuesday, the 27-year-old singer was spotted leaving Saint Laurent's Paris Fashion Week show with Romain Gavras.Both Lipa and Gavras, a 41-year-old music video director, wore all black as they exited the event hand-in-hand. It wasn't the first time the duo has been linked; Lipa and Gavras were spotted leaving a London party together last month.Lipa has been linked to several potential suitors since her split from Anwar Hadid in late 2021. Last September, Lipa was spotted out on an «intimate» date night in New York City with Trevor Noah.«They sat next to each other.

which debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on Hulu; “Banana Split”starring Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato and Dylan Sprouse; “The Binge,” which stars Skyler Gisondo, Dexter Darden, Eduardo Franco and Vince Vaughn; “Looks That Kill” starring Brandon Flynn; Josh Friedlander’s “Holly Slept Over;” “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise” starring Emmy-nominee Madeline Brewer and Keean Johnson; Natalie Morales’ solo feature directorial debut “Plan B;” Talia Osteen’s “Sex Appeal;” Sammi Cohen’s directorial debut “Crush”starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho; and “It’s A Wonderful Binge,” the sequel to the original “Binge”title, which stars Kaitlin Olson, Danny Trejo, Nick Swardson and Tim Meadows and released in November.In addition to producing multiple films per year, American High aims to finance and acquire a number of third-party films that align with the mission of its brand.

Hulu Originals has renewed its first look output deal with American High.

EXCLUSIVE: Grantham Coleman (Rustin) is the newest addition to the Paramount+ limited series Bass Reeves, exec produced by and starring David Oyelowo.

In this new teaser for Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction series, Lizzy Caplan’s Alex Forrest shares an elevator with Joshua Jackson’s Dan Gallagher and asks “Do you ever push that red button?” We can be pretty sure she’s not merely talking about an emergency stop.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large There have been a lot of TV crossover episodes over the years, but this may be the most unique one yet: PBS’ “Finding Your Roots” and host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. will make a major appearance on Fox’s “The Simpsons” this Sunday. Variety has an exclusive first look at Gates’ appearance; scroll down for more. Gates is a major guest star on “The Simpsons” episode that airs Sunday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. ET. The episode, “Carl Carlsen Rides Again,” centers on Homer Simpson’s colleague at the nuclear power plant (and Lenny’s best friend) Carl, who delves into his racial identity for the first time. On the episode, Carl discovers his background by going on “Finding Your Roots.”

EXCLUSIVE: Gunpowder & Sky, the company founded by former MTV chief Van Toffler and former Endemol exec Floris Bauer, is formalizing its relationship with Audible.

William Earl Joel Zimmerman, one of the top agents in electronic dance music (EDM) and a 13-year veteran of WME, has joined Range Media Partners as a partner in the company’s music division. Range, launched two years ago, is helmed by managing partners Matt Graham, Jack Minihan, Tyler Henry, Melissa Ruderman, Chris Thomas and Evan Winiker, and boasts a label partnership with Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Virgin Music & Artist Label Services (Virgin). Among its clients are Jack Harlow, Justin Tranter, Cordae, Midland, Nova Wav, Tyga, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Hailey Whitters, Lauv, MAX, HARV, Sean Douglas and Wondagurl, among others. While at WME, Zimmerman acted as primary agent for dozens of top acts, helping grow EDM into a billion-dollar business by representing such artists as Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, 88rising, Steve Lacy, Avicii, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Psy, Kygo, Swedish House Mafia and Deadmau5 (whose real name is also Joel Zimmerman). His run at the agency followed the founding of Division One Talent in 2006, which was brought in-house to William Morris, marking the first time a department was specifically dedicated to EDM. There, Zimmerman helped establish long-term DJ residencies in Las Vegas and throughout the world.