Emmys Deny Apple’s Petition to Move ‘Schmigadoon’ From Comedy Series to Scripted Variety Category (EXCLUSIVE)

Emiliano De Pablos Santiago-based Clara Films and Colombian sound post house-producer Centauro-Productora LAP are joining forces to co-produce Chilean Ricardo Valenzuela Pinilla’s debut “What Was Left Unsaid,” a social drama with hints of dark comedy.   Produced by Camila Bascuñán at Chilean company Delavida Films, “What Was Left Unsaid” is currently at post-production stage.  The deal completes funding for the film and marks a significant milestone in the journey of bringing Valenzuela Pinilla’s first feature to audiences worldwide.     The story of “What Was Left Unsaid” is set in rural Chile, in the early 2000s, when communications’ modernization started. Margarita, a 43 year-old field sales executive, stands out for her undeniable connection with people in contrast with her 40 year-old sales colleague Cucho.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Directors Guild of America is disputing a Writers Guild of America strike rule that forbids writer-directors from making minor script changes. The conflict revives a decades-old battle — which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 — over the WGA’s jurisdiction. Though the Supreme Court ruled against the WGA, the guild has continued to argue that “hyphenate” members are prohibited from making minor script modifications during a strike. The dispute turns on eight types of activities — including cutting material for time, making adjustments in dialogue, and changing stage directions — that the WGA sees as writing work under its jurisdiction.

EXCLUSIVE: Wheelhouse DNA, Canada’s Frederator Studios and social media comedy star Adam Waheed are joining forces for an animated comedy series.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. streamer ITVX has acquired “The Effects of Lying,” a comedic drama with South Asian representation, from independent production company Bonaparte Films. It is directed by Isher Sahota, known for his work on “Grace” and “McDonald & Dodds” and produced by Jon Tarcy, whose previous work includes “Life in Black.” Written by James Hey (“Doctors”), the plot revolves around Naveen, a dutiful husband and loving father played by Ace Bhatti (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Line of Duty”). His life is turned upside down when a series of shocking events occur in just one day, exposing decades of festering secrets. Laila Rouass (“Holby City,” “Spooks”), Lauren Patel (“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”), Navin Chowdry (“The End of the F***ing World”), Shaheen Khan (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”) and Mark Williams (the Harry Potter franchise).

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Attorneys for Daystar Peterson (Tory Lanez) are reportedly attempting to disqualify Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford after he ruled against their motion for a new trial in the case of Megan Thee Stallion’s 2020 shooting. “In a jaw-dropping move, Lanez’s lawyers filed a motion to disqualify Judge Herriford from Lanez’s case, then told the judge they didn’t think he could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved.

Tony Danza reunited with his Taxi co-stars 40 years after the show ended its five-season run.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has nabbed worldwide rights to Spanish filmmaker Chiqui Carabante’s black-comedy whodunnit “The Fortress” (“La Fortaleza”) and is debuting its trailer ahead of the Cannes Film Market. The film centers on the death of Arturo Viaplana and its aftermath as his offspring, hoping to inherit a great fortune, discover that instead of leaving them the estate, their father has devised a macabre, posthumous game in which his children must first locate his body and bury it themselves in a specified location. Working together to carry out their father’s instructions and pass a series of tests, the siblings are forced to come to terms with a deeply hidden family secret.

series has a reputation for having some of the best needle drops in the MCU, and is no exception. From the very first moments of the first film in 2014, which featured Chris Pratt's Star-Lord bopping along to Redbone's «Come and Get Your Love» on his Walkman, director James Gunn has punctuated his fun-loving space adventure with a memorable collection of songs, immortalized on the film's aptly titled  soundtracks.So, what are some of the favorite needle drops of the Guardians themselves? ET's Ash Crossan sat down with some of the cast, ahead of the release of the third and final, to find out.«Lake Shore Drive» by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah«I think my favorite song of the entire trilogy is probably the opening song for the opening movie — it's probably 'Come and Get Your Love.'… I love that song, but I also got to say there's a really special place in my heart for 'Lake Shore Drive' in the second movie, which is from my past. James and I grew up in the Midwest, and that was kind of a local hit in the Midwest.

EXCLUSIVE: Unstable, the Netflix comedy series starring Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe, is the latest show to have production hit by the writers strike.

Bupkis can be loosely translated into English as “nothing” — which is the comedic point of Pete Davidson’s eponymous, semi-autobiographical series premiering May 4 on Peacock.Think of “Bupkis” as a “Seinfeld”-type “show about nothing” … but writ large.“I think our goal was to capture the relentless and absurd reality that is Pete’s world,” said showrunner Judah Miller, who co-created and co-wrote “Bupkis” with Davidson and Dave Sirus. (Stacy Keach delivers the opening, jokey “legal announcement” in his unmistakable baritone.)“When we were coming up with ideas, there were no fictitious concepts or situations that were going to rival the opportunities for comedy and satire that Pete’s actual life provides,” Miller said.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Guy Fieri is rolling out “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” into a new Emmys category. Food Network has successfully petitioned the Television Academy to move the long-running food reality series back to the outstanding structured reality category, where it will compete against other popular series such as “Love is Blind,” “Queer Eye” and “Shark Tank.” It had previously been submitted for hosted nonfiction series or special since 2020. Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories. Hosted by Fieri since the show’s debut in 2007, the show had received six Emmy nominations — five for outstanding structured reality program from 2014-2019 and outstanding reality program in 2013, the last year before the category was separated into two for structured and unstructured programming.

greenlit the untitled project.The logline is as follows: “A comedy centered on the unlikely relationship between an irreverent, outspoken, agnostic woman and an unconventional rabbi.” Erin Foster serves as creator and executive produce alongside EPs Steven Levitan, Craig DiGregorio, Bell, Sara Foster and Danielle Stokdyk. Hailing from 20th Television in association with Steven Levitan Productions, Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman serve as executive producers for 3arts.Best known for his beloved Seth Cohen on the popular teen series, “The O.C.”, Brody recently starred in “Fleishman Is in Trouble” and reprised his role as Superhero Freddy in “DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” He will appear in the upcoming reboot of the classic film “River Wild,” which also stars Leighton Meester and Taran Killam.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Adam Brody will star opposite Kristen Bell in an upcoming comedy series for Netflix, Variety has learned. The untitled series was ordered at the streamer back in March. It centers “on the unlikely relationship between the outspoken, agnostic Joanne (Bell) and unconventional rabbi Noah (Brody).” The character Noah is further described as “a charming rabbi who is stuck in his ways and used to playing things safe. He starts to stumble when he meets a brutally honest and provocative Joanne, totally upending his safe life plan.” Brody is best known for his role in the hit Fox drama series “The O.C.,” while his other TV credits include “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Mrs. America,” “StartUp,” and “Single Parents.” He has also appeared in films such as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “Sleeping with Other People,” and “Promising Young Woman.”

Boat Rocker and Shamier Anderson and Stephan James’ Bay Mills Studios are developing Christopher Robin, an R-rated comedic reimagining of A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, as a television series.

Adam Brody is set as the male lead opposite Kristen Bell in Netflix’s untitled comedy series created and executive produced by Erin Foster and executive produced by Steve Levitan.

On paper, the comedic pairing of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does. However, as was proven in the two “Neighbors” films, these two have incredible chemistry and comedic timing with each other.

Charna Flam “Neighbors” co-stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are reuniting on the small screen for the new Apple TV+ comedy series “Platonic.” In the new series, Rogen and Byrne play Will and Sylvia, two former BFFs approaching midlife who attempt to rekindle their friendship after a falling out. According to the show’s official logline, Will and Sylvia’s friendship eventually “becomes all consuming — and destabilizes their lives in a hilarious way.” The 10-episode series will premiere its first three episodes on May 24, with the remaining seven installments dropping Wednesdays until the finale on July 12.

First Look At Nicola Coughlan & Lydia West In ‘Big Mood’