‘Flowers in the Attic’ Author V.C. Andrews’ Library Rights Acquired by A+E Networks; Lifetime Developing ‘Cutler’ Series

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterInvestment firm Standard General has struck a deal to purchase TV broadcaster Tegna Inc. for $24 per share in cash, the companies announced Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Indican Pictures has acquired One Moment, a family comedy starring the late Danny Aiello, with plans to release it in theaters in May and on VOD in July.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAt around $7 million per 30-second spot, an ad for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI did not come cheap. But with more than 112 million viewers having tuned in for the Los Angeles Rams victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the companies who shelled out that cash would likely think it was worth it to have their spot viewed by that many eyeballs.

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip -- The Palestinian militants scrambled out of the tunnel and attacked an Israeli tank in broad daylight as gunfire and explosions echoed across the Gaza frontier.This time it wasn't the start of another war, but an action scene filmed for a TV series produced by the territory's militant Hamas rulers.The 30-episode series, titled “Fist of the Free,” presents the fighters as scrappy heroes outwitting a better-armed Israeli military. Unlike “Fauda,” the hit Israeli drama that deals with some of the same subject matter, it is unlikely to get picked up by Netflix.It's the latest such production by the media arm of Hamas, which has invested heavily in its offerings despite a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza since the Islamic militant group seized power in 2007.The shows are aired on Hamas-run TV, and “Fist of the Free” will debut during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, when viewership soars after the dawn-to-dusk fast and networks across the Muslim world debut big-budget offerings.“The idea of our films and series centers on our struggle with the enemy,” says Sadi al-Attar, the assistant director.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Yellowstone” prequel “1883” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount Plus, and the ViacomCBS-owned streaming service has ordered another Taylor Sheridan-created origin-story show following the Dutton Family called “1932.” Yes, you guessed it — the show will follow a new generation of Duttons “during the time of western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.”“1883″ stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Billy Bob Thornton, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen and James Landry Hébert.The show follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of western expansion and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Euphoria” hit another series high on Sunday, drawing 5.1 million viewers across multiple platforms, a 20% increase from last week and up 45% from the season average. That number was reached despite the HBO drama airing opposite Super Bowl LVI on NBC.As Variety previously exclusively reported, “Euphoria’s” Season 2 per-episode-viewership average is up nearly 100% from its first season.“Euphoria” Season 2 takes place amidst the intertwining lives in the town of East Highland, where 17-year-old Rue (Zendaya) must find hope while balancing the pressures of love, loss, and addiction.The series stars Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Nika King, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Javon Walton, Dominic Fike, Storm Reid and Austin Abrams.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterMelissa Joan Hart will star in multiple new “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” holiday movies, as well as the made-for-TV hoarder film “Dirty Little Secret” at Lifetime, as part of a new multi-year deal with the cable channel, Variety has learned exclusively.Under her new pact, Hart will star in, direct and executive produce several movies for Lifetime. For the “Ripped From The Headlines” movie “Dirty Little Secret” (working title), which is set to debut this summer, Hart stars as a mother hiding her extreme hoarding tendencies that are destroying her family.Additionally, Hart will star in and executive produce new movies for Lifetime’s 2022 and 2023 Christmas slates, having previously starred in six holiday films for the cabler, including “Mistletoe in Montana,” “Dear Christmas” and “A Very Merry Toy Store.” Hart has previously executive produced eight Lifetime films with her production company Hartbreak Films, including the recent “Christmas in Tune” starring Reba McEntire.

Pete Davidson is quickly winning over the Kardashians. On Valentine’s Day, Kim Kardashian’s new man decided to make sure that her sister, Khloé Kardashian, didn’t feel left out of the lovey-dovey festivities. If Khloé, 37, is nursing a broken heart, thanks to Tristan Thompson running around, she had a lovely distraction from her sadness on Monday when Pete, 28, sent her a beautiful bouquet of roses! “The Sweetest! Thank you, Pete,” Khloe captioned the Feb. 14 Instagram Story. In the photo, Khloe showed off the many pink roses and laceleaf flowers that the Saturday Night Live star had given her.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAudrey Diwan, the BAFTA-nominated filmmaker of the Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening,” is set to make her television debut with Haut et Court TV in France, Variety has learned.Haut et Court TV is one of France’s leading production companies with credits ranging from the supernatural drama series “The Returned,” to “Panthers” with Tahar Rahim and more recently “Possession.”Diwan is currently writing the series, which will be an original story about a mother and daughter running a plastic surgery clinic. The plot is under wraps but the series will be similar to “Happening” in that it will deal with women’s relationships to their bodies.

The end is near! Hollywood is gearing up for spring by buying plenty of spring and summer pieces to refresh their closets.

EXCLUSIVE: Following a global search that took almost a year before making a decision, Paramount Pictures looks to have found the person to play its Reggae legend for its upcoming untitled Bob Marley biopic. Sources tell Deadline, Kingsley Ben-Adir has been tapped to play Reggae singer and musical icon Bob Marley in the biopic with King RIchard helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green directing.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterKorean zombie thriller “All Of Us Are Dead” has become Netflix’s fifth most popular non-English-language series debut, Variety has learned exclusively.On Tuesday, “All of Us Are Dead” debuted on Netflix’s all-time rankings, which tracks the streaming service’s Top 10 most popular non-English TV series based on hours viewed in their first 28 days on Netflix, in the fifth-place slot. Its entrance bumps “The Queen of Flow,” which was previously at 10th, off the list.At No. 1 on the list is still, of course, the Korean mega-hit “Squid Game,” which racked up 1.65 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days post-launch.

EXCLUSIVE: Uri Singer and Aimee Peyronnet are teaming to acquire two works from the estate of French author Pierre Boulle, who wrote the novels The Planet of the Apes and The Bridge Over the River Kwai, which both were turned into iconic Hollywood movies.

Harry Hamlin was "hungry to go to work" when he chose to take on a role in the "dark" Lifetime miniseries, "Flowers in the Attic: The Origin." Hamlin, 70, is starring as the father figure in Lifetime's adaption of Andrew Neiderman's novel, "Garden of Shadows." "I was not that familiar with ‘Flowers in the Attic’ when I was offered this part," Hamlin told press during Lifetime's TCA Winter Press Tour panel. "And I quickly found out how dark it was. And my part of it, being dad, I'm not in the darkest part of the piece." "During COVID, I only did two projects since the pandemic began, so I was pretty hungry to go to work.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterA+E Networks has promoted Sharon Scott to president of the company’s unscripted division, including Category 6 Media and Six West Media.In this newly created role, Scott, who most recently served as executive vice president of Category 6 Media, will have oversight of A+E Network’s expanding full-service nonfiction content creation unit. She will continue to report directly to Paul Buccieri, president and chairman of A+E Networks Group.Additionally, A+E Networks has upped Steve Ascher, who was previously executive vice president of Six West Media, to oversee development for the company’s entire unscripted division, including Category 6 Media.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterStarz dropped the first teaser for its Sean Penn and Julia Roberts-led Watergate limited series “Gaslit” on Wednesday, revealing the actors’ on-screen transformations into Attorney General John Mitchell, President Richard Nixon’s most trusted advisor and best friend, and his whistleblower wife Martha Mitchell.Also announced was the show’s premiere date, which Starz has set for Sunday, April 24 at 9 p.m., the pay TV channel said during its Wednesday presentation at the virtual Television Critics Association press tour.Executive produced by Sam Esmail, “Gaslit” is a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal — from Nixon’s bumbling and opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down, per Starz. Along with Penn (who rattled production with his insistence on strict enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on set) and Roberts, “Gaslit” also stars Dan Stevens (who replaced Armie Hammer on the series) as John Dean, Betty Gilpin as Mo Dean, Shea Whigham as G.

Lifetime will further expand its V. C. Andrews programming, with A+E acquiring rights to the author’s library of bestselling novels.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Lucifer” star Tom Ellis has joined the cast of Hulu’s Sterling K. Brown-led “Washington Black” limited series in the role of steam-punk inventor Christopher “Titch” Wilde.Described as an epic nine-episode adventure series based on Esi Edugyan’s novel of the same name, “Washington Black” follows the extraordinary 19th-century adventures of George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year-old boy on a Barbados sugar plantation who must flee after a shocking death threatens to upend his life.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterParamount Plus revealed Tuesday it is moving forward on developing TV series remakes of classic ’80s movies “Urban Cowboy” and “Flashdance,” bringing on “Dear White People” creator Justin Simien to write and direct the latter project.Additionally, the ViacomCBS-owned streamer said during its virtual session at the Television Critics Association press tour it has put a docu-comedy series from “Mr. Show” duo Bob Odenkirk and David Cross in the works.The “Urban Cowboy” project comes after Paramount Television Studios first set up development on a TV series based on the film of the same name at Fox in 2015, which was later scrapped.