Casting for Netflix’s reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge was a unique challenge: finding 456 diverse and international lead characters.
09.04.2024 - 00:19 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The extraordinary exploits of convicted fraudster Russell King will be recounted in King of All Cons (WT), a feature doc that has just gone into production. Emmy-nominated Dash Pictures is making the film with Sky in the UK and Matthew Lorenzo Productions, the indie set up by the titular Lorenzo, a former Sky Sports presenter.
Individuals who King duped included Sven Goran Eriksson, the one-time England soccer team manager, as part of an infamous scheme to buy Notts County, the world’s oldest soccer club. The film will use a mix of archive and interviews with the main players on the story, including Eriksson — who disclosed a terminal cancer diagnosis in January. Former England soccer star Sol Campbell also features.
King’s other nefarious exploits include negotiating a deal to extract all of North Korea’s mineral reserves. The action in the film moves between Bahrain, North Korea, London’s plush Dorchester Hotel, the UK’s financial district and Meadow Lane, the humble home of Notts County.
Lorenzo, a well-known face to UK sports fans as a former presenter on Sky Sports, has a personal connection with the King of All Cons story because the fraudster at one time recruited him to handle his PR.
Lorenzo’s production banner and Dash have worked together previously on projects including Hurst: The First and Only about England World Cup winning soccer captain Geoff Hurst, which also played on Sky. “We work well together and between us we have the right skills to get the most out of a huge story: to bring out the drama and the emotion, and to give some of King’s victims a chance to have their say,” he said.
Dash founder Daniel Sharp exec produces. “Leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Russell King committed
Casting for Netflix’s reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge was a unique challenge: finding 456 diverse and international lead characters.
Ethan Shanfeld David Cross and Bob Odenkirk made headlines in 2022 when they announced plans to reunite for the docu-style Paramount+ comedy “Guru Nation,” in which the “Mr. Show” masterminds were cast as rival cult gurus manipulating the minds of their deluded followers.
In the late 1990s Joker writer-director Todd Phillips, then applying his trade as an underground documentary filmmaker shot a non-fiction project titled Frat House, which nabbed the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance before being promptly acquired by HBO Films.
The potential new Greg Daniels and Michael Komancomedy series in The Office universe has locked in its first two stars: Domhnall Gleeson (The Patient) and Sabrina Impacciatore (White Lotus), who will be part of an ensemble, sources close to production tell Deadline. Details regarding their roles are under wraps. The Office studio Universal Television declined to comment, other than to confirm that the project remains in development.
Sharareh Drury When Ally Lewber joined the cast of “Vanderpump Rules” in Season 10 as James Kennedy’s new girlfriend, the chances for drama could not have been any higher. Kennedy had recently ended an engagement with fellow cast member Rachel Leviss, and the history of exes mingling with new partners on the series has historically not gone over well. However, the 28-year-old has been a refreshingly calm addition.
Liam Gallagher has said his collaborative album with John Squire is “just the starter”, hinting that further music from the pair is on the horizon.The former Oasis frontman and ex-Stone Roses guitarist released their self-titled, UK Number One record last month before embarking on a joint UK, Ireland and European headline tour.Following the recent live dates, Gallagher said it would “be rude not to do another album” with Squire. “I think it’s got legs, man,” the singer explained of the team-up.
began outpatient treatment in February, and has since taken a slight step back from official duties to focus on his health.“I am hearing that he’s actually responding genuinely, really well to cancer treatment,” royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths told “GB News.”“And everyone in the royal household is feeling positive and upbeat about how he’s responding,” Griffiths said.It appears as though the king really is hitting his stride when it comes to his recovery, as he recently returned from a quick trip to Scotland with his wife, Queen Camilla.The couple, who last week celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, spent a few days at Birkhall, their Highlands retreat located on the Balmoral estate, to mark the occasion.Charles’ love for the plush estate, which is nestled on the banks of the River Muick, is well-known, as he often visits whenever time allows.Charles has been forced to hit the brakes on much of his royal agenda since news of his ailing health came to light.Just days before jetting off to Scotland, the King was seen waving to well-wishers from the car as he headed to church at Sandringham.The previous week, he was seen joining other royals for Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle.While he’s made an effort to avoid commenting on speculation about his health, Charles did speak out about his own battle just days after going public with the news.The King said that well wishes from the public are “the greatest comfort and encouragement.”“It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world,” he said in a statement.“My lifelong
Even though the Grand National Festival will take place at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, 13 April, it is not expected that King Charles will be in attendance as he continues to focus on his recovery following his cancer diagnosis. Many members of the Royal Family - including the King, Zara Tindall, Princess Anne and the late Queen Elizabeth II - have graced the racecourse in recent decades.
EXCLUSIVE: The Vampire Diaries alum Matthew Davis and Alexander Hodge (Insecure) have been tapped as series regulars opposite Melissa Fumero, AnnaSophia Robb and Ben Rappaport in Grosse Pointe Garden Society, NBC‘s drama pilot from Jenna Bans, Bill Krebs and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Paul McCartney was the obvious headliner of the bill Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl. But it was Buffett-mania that was in full sway, as a cast of dozens of singers and celebrity presenters — from Jane Fonda to Snoop Dogg — saluted or parroted a fallen musical hero for the three-and-a-half-hour “Keep The Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett.” Most of the night’s entertainers covered Buffett classics or obscurities, although McCartney, the Eagles and Snoop Dogg broke with that to regale the full Bowl house with their own material, while Zac Brown and (sending in a video contribution) Dave Matthews debuted brand new songs saluting Buffett.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Netflix has acquired “Rather,” the documentary about veteran journalist Dan Rather‘s landmark career in news. The film, which premieres April 24 on the streamer, utilizes the story of of Rather’s life on television to also explore the evolution of broadcast journalism, the troubles a free press now faces, along with the slide of American society from hard-fought advances in social justice and democratic freedoms.
Michaela Zee SAG-AFTRA has responded to the allegations that “Tulsa King” star Sylvester Stallone created a “toxic environment” for background actors on the Atlanta set of the Paramount+ series. “There is no room on any set for disparaging comments to background actors or any performers,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said in a statement.
The love triangle between Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz has begun!
Katcy Stephan “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the upcoming film about the making of Bruce Springsteen‘s landmark 1982 “Nebraska” album, has landed at 20th Century Studios. “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White is in talks to star as the legendary rocker. Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Hostiles”) will write and direct the film, which is based on Warren Zane’s 2023 book “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.” “Nebraska,” the follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album “The River,” was widely expected to be a rock album with the E Street Band.
Ringo Starr alongside the likes of Elton John, Slash and Iggy Pop.The musician, who plays drums for The Who, shared some details about the project in a post on social media last week. Starkey explained that it came together on the day The Who and Guns N’ Roses both played at Rock In Rio in 2017.“Duff [McKagan] and I went in a local studio and cut bass for a cover of T-Rex[‘s] ‘Children Of The Revolution’,” he wrote.“My dad played drums in LA (while I fudged the bass) then in Rio, Duff cut bass.
Kim Kardashian caught the attention of over two million fans over the weekend as she shared a jaw-dropping collection of pictures from her holiday to the Turks and Caicos Islands.The reality star and SKIMs founder, 43, showed off her incredible figure as she donned a snakeskin bikini and placed a brown cowboy hat over her drenched brunette locks - snapping a number of pictures for her followers. Pairing the look with two gold cross necklaces and opting for a natural palette of makeup, Kim looked flawless while posing on the beach.
Kate Winslet is back on our screens for Sky's latest political drama The Regime - a satirical series about a European dictator ruling over a fictional European country. The Titanic star last appeared on TV for the BAFTA-winning series I Am Ruth, playing a middle-aged mother concerned for her social media-obsessed daughter. However, the Oscar winner now plays Elena Vernham, the chancellor leading an authoritarian regime and struggling to maintain power, in Sky Atlantic's six-part series.
Prince William has always held a close bond with his father King Charles and when it came to his future with Kate Middleton, the pair had a life-altering conversation. Amidst a challenging time for the Royal Family, the Prince of Wales is balancing royal duties, parenting three young children, and supporting his wife, Kate, through her preventative chemotherapy.
Heavy rain and snow have sparked travel chaos as Storm Kathleen batters large parts of Scotland.
Are rom-coms on the resurgence? If they are, Netflix is ahead of the pack with several new ones out on the streamer this year already. “Players,” “Irish Wish, and “The Heartbreak Agency” didn’t fare too well with critics, but “One Day” did, so maybe that means “Mother Of The Bride” could a sleeper hit for the streamer this Spring.