DirecTV Stream Sets Distribution Deal With Telly, A Startup Giving Away 55-Inch Smart TVs

K.J. Yossman “Reginald the Vampire” producer December Films has inked a first-look deal with Cineflix Studios (“Tehran”). The first project to come out of the deal is a new ten-part series, “Carpe Demon” from showrunner Emily Andras (“Wynonna Earp”). Based on the Julie Kenner novels of the same name, the series about a demon hunting suburban mom is in development for Paramount+ Canada. Canada and LA-based December Films launched in 2020, founded by Julie DiCresce and Todd Berger. The company has numerous series in productions and is in post on feature “Out Come the Wolves” for IFC Films, Altitude Films and Level Film and rom-com “Bootcamp.”

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “Run the Burbs” producer Pier 21 Films has partnered with Canadian stand-up comic Julie Kim on a half-hour comedy series. The development deal marks Kim’s debut at the helm of a sitcom, which Kim will co-write with “Strays” alum, Clara Altimas. The project comes on the heels of her gala performance at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, her debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and a 40-theater North American tour with Ronny Chieng (“Crazy Rich Asians”). “Julie Kim is one of today’s freshest stand-up performers with an impeccable track record for creating comedy gold,” said Karen Tsang, senior VP of creative affairs at Pier 21 Films. “We are incredibly excited to collaborate with her as she plunges into her own scripted series.”

Peppa Pig, the British cartoon character with a show for preschoolers, is coming to Audible by way of the upcoming Peppa Pig podcast. Further details on the podcast and where eager listeners can check it out will be revealed later in 2023.“We’re delighted to work with Hasbro to expand our family listening content with one of the most popular and impactful brands, Peppa Pig,” said Aurelie de Troyer, Head of Content UK and Canada at Audible.

Programs from Elliot Page’s production company and the team behind comedy Letterkenny are among Paramount+’s latest Canadian slate.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming Australian series “NCIS: Sydney” has found its leads and main cast. The series, which is currently in production, will follow “the brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as they are grafted into a multi-national taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.” That team will be led by NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey, played by Olivia Swann (“Legends of Tomorrow,” “The River Wild”), and her AFP counterpart Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey, played by Todd Lasance (“Without Remorse,” “Spartacus: War of the Damned”).

Naman Ramachandran Prolific genre producer Steven Schneider of Room 101, Inc. and Spooky Pictures, is teaming with Malkier Studios on a slate of horror films. Schneider’s credits include “Paranormal Activity,” “Blair Witch,” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old.” Producing alongside Schneider will be D.C. Cassidy, Michael Fisk and Julia Wang Zhu under the newly formed Malkier Studios production company that will focus on creating IP driven horror, animation and thriller content. First up under the collaboration is “Janus,” written by Nate Atkins (“Blood-Red Ox”) and Jason Zada (“The Forest,” “Take this Lollipop”) with Zada also directing. It will follow three band members seeking refuge in an old farmhouse where they encounter a woman harboring an unspeakable secret. Schneider and Joe Heath will produce alongside Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who will bring his musical expertise and oversight to the film. The cast includes Alex Neustaedter (“American Rust”), Natalie Alyn Lind (“Big Sky”), Jack Kilmer (“Lords of Chaos”) and Grace Van Dien (“Stranger Things”), along with M.C. Gainey (“Emperor”). Filming will commence later this year in Puerto Rico.

Alison Hammond is set to land a lucrative "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV. Bosses at the network are said to be working on a series of new entertainment projects, including game shows, for the 46-year-old broadcaster because they don't want to lose her talents to rivals, following speculation her 'This Morning' co-star Holly Willoughby could turn her attentions to the BBC in a bid to distance herself from the Phillip Schofield scandal. A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “ITV bosses want to cut a new deal with Alison.

Rebel Wilson is stepping into the music industry.

Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of Based on a True Story season 1.

A dad with a '15-year' weed habit - who claims he smokes it to deal with a 'debilitating' back injury - could 'rely on state benefits', but choses to work six days a week, his lawyer said as he appeared in court for drug driving.

EXCLUSIVE: Rebel Wilson has signed with Warner Music and will have her own highly personalized label: Rebellionaire. “Take the ‘b’ out of billionaire and replace it with an ‘r’ for Rebel,” she quipped.

EXCLUSIVE: Former NFL player Andrew Hawkins and his Parks Tower Studios banner have entered into a co-production agreement with RTG Features, the sister studio to basketball-focused media company Slam, to develop and produce a slate of cross-platform scripted and unscripted projects that spotlight sports and culture. 

EXCLUSIVE: Arthouse distro Circle Collective has acquired worldwide rights to Luca Balser’s (Uncut Gems) NYC anthology film What Doesn’t Float, starring and produced by Pauline Chalamet (Sex Lives of College Girls), and shot by DPs Sean Price Williams (Good Time) and Hunter Zimny (Good Time).

The Directors Guild of America has voted on a tentative deal that would avoid taking strike action.

EXCLUSIVE: The Season 2 finale of Yellowjackets was a buzzy one for Showtime.

signed a contract with Netflix to produce projects and now his brother, 40, has his own transaction in the works. The Prince of Wales’ environmental charity, the Earthshot Prize, has partnered with YouTube for campaigns, events and creator collabs that will bring more awareness to the global climate crisis.The two-year partnership will unite the Earthshot Prize and the video platform to create content to inspire users to take action against climate change.The alliance will also help grow the Earthshot Prize YouTube channel.Types of content that will be featured on the website include mini-documentaries, Q&As and YouTube Shorts, as well as collaborations with influencers.“At the Earthshot Prize we want to incentivize innovation and change to help repair our planet and partnering with YouTube, one of the world’s biggest platforms, allows us to do that on a truly global scale,” the organization’s CEO Hannah Jones said in a statement.

EXCLUSIVE: Taost Entertainment, a London-based media production startup, has picked up Chinese distribution rights to the star-studded animated feature 10 Lives.

“Not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but when we were at Woolies today, a staff member chased us down and stuck this sticker over the barcode of some steak we had in our trolley,” the woman explained. 

Mansa, a free, ad-supported streaming service centered on Black culture, has struck a distribution deal with AMC Theatres to have its original features and series exhibited in theaters nationwide.

The arthouse box office hasn’t recovered quickly post-Covid, but one of the oases for the sector, even by pre-pandemic benchmarks, has always been a Wes Anderson movie.