Fox Orders ‘Stars on Mars’ Reality Show, With William Shatner Pitting Celebrities Against Each Other in a Space Simulation

A teaser for tomorrow night's episode of I’m A Celebrity... South Africa has seen the campmates split into two teams as they are pitted against each other as part of a trial. Tensions seem to be rising as the celebrities appear to enter a sort of assault course in a cage as they attempt to retrieve stars for meals and treats in camp.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The story of the Menéndez brothers, convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez, will next be tackled by Ryan Murphy as part of his Netflix franchise “Monster.” Netflix and Murphy were set to confirm Monday that they are at work on “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” the follow-up to the hit limited series “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” Netflix had ordered two additional installments of the anthology series from Murphy and Ian Brennan; this would rep the first. Separately, Netflix revealed that it also has what it called “exclusive access” to Lyle and Erik Menéndez to participate in a documentary feature from Campfire Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox has given a straight-to-series order to Rescue: HI-Surf, a Hawaii lifeguard drama from John Wells Productions in Wells’ broadcast return. The series, slated to premiere during the 2023-24 season, will be co-produced by Warner Bros. Television, where JWP is based, and Fox Entertainment.

“Dodgeball” is getting a sequel.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large James Corden said farewell to CBS on Thursday evening by doing something no one ever thought would be possible: Getting Tom Cruise to sing Elton John’s hit ballad “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” After an opening “The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke Special” by singing “Last Show” (to the tune of “Last Dance”), and quick opening monologue, Corden switched to its heavily promoted final pre-tape with Cruise.  As previously announced, the action star icon and the host joined a performance of “The Lion King” at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The first part of the clip showed the two rehearsing and singing on stage in costume — but from there, the sketch turned into a bit of a farewell between the two.

is getting a sequel. ET can confirm Vince Vaughn is returning to star in a sequel, which is in early development at 20th Century Studios. Plot details have not been revealed, but Jordan VanDina is set to pen the script, ET confirms. followed a group of misfits that enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain. It grossed $168 million worldwide.The original film featured stars including Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Jason Bateman and William Shatner, but it's unclear if any will return for the sequel.Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote and directed the original film in 2004, but it's unclear if he'll be involved in the sequel in any capacity, according to , who was first to report the news of the follow up film.However, Thurber did previously speak about the possibility of returning to the universe, telling the outlet «never say never» in 2021 interview.«I never thought about  as a series, but that actually might be fun,» he said.

Play ball! A Dodgeball sequel is officially in the works — and Vince Vaughn has reportedly signed on to reprise the role of Peter La Fleur.

EXCLUSIVE: Vince Vaughn will return to star in (and likely produce) a sequel to his hit 2004 comedy, Dodgeball, scripted by Jordan VanDina (The Binge), which is in early development at 20th Century Studios, Deadline has learned.

Crazy Town singers Bobby Reeves and Seth Binzer got into a fistfight after their rocky show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the weekend.The altercation occurred after lead singer Binzer, also known as Shifty Shellshock, failed to arrive on stage until the end of the show – leaving co-vocalist Reeves to fill in for the majority of the gig on Sunday (April 23).According to fan-filmed clips of the show, Reeves struggled to handle frontman duties – often forgetting lyrics to songs and occasionally berating Binzer for his absence.Once Binzer did arrive toward the end of the set, the two engaged in a heated argument which led to the two ultimately getting physical. He accused Reeves of stealing money and Reeves began threatening members of Binzer’s family.Singer of Rock Band #crazytown get beat up by band member #shiftyshellshock after the show because Shifty didn’t show up for the show till after it was over.

With Elon Musk’s purge of Twitter’s blue verification checkmarks in full swing, numerous celebrities have watched their “verified” status vanish; under new guidelines instituted by Musk, the coveted blue checks will now only be available for those who pay for them.

Not everyone is losing out on a blue check mark following Elon Musk’s massive Twitter overhaul.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The squeaky wheel gets the Twitter blue check-mark, it seems. After Twitter’s mass revocation Thursday of thousands of “legacy” verified blue check-marks, carrying out owner Elon Musk’s long-promised purge of the “corrupt” system, several high-profile accounts still had the iconic blue badges… even though they evidently aren’t paying for Twitter Blue (the subscription service whose perks now include a blue check-mark). Those included NBA superstar LeBron James, actor William Shatner and author Stephen King — each of whom had tweeted that they wouldn’t pay for Twitter Blue or had complained about Musk’s switch in the verification program.

blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.After several false starts, Twitter began making good on its promise Thursday to remove the blue checks from accounts that don’t pay a monthly fee to keep them. Twitter had about 300,000 verified users under the original blue-check system — many of them journalists, athletes and public figures.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Issa Rae will be honored with the Peabody Trailblazer Award, while Lily Tomlin will receive the org’s Career Achievement Award, as the Peabody Awards celebrates this year’s kudos on June 11 in Los Angeles. Also announced on Thursday, “Shrinking” star and “The Daily Show” alum Jessica Williams has signed on to host this year’s ceremony. “Beyond our annual awards recognizing the most compelling stories, Peabody is dedicated to recognizing individuals that inspire and delight us,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Lily Tomlin has made so many people laugh over the decades with her remarkable talent, and Issa Rae has proven herself a profound entertainment storyteller, performer, and force for good. We’re thrilled to recognize Issa and Lily for not only their extraordinary contributions to storytelling, but also for their important role and place for women in comedy and entertainment.”

William Shatner has signed on to host Fox’s upcoming reality competition show, “Stars on Mars.” The show, which airs on Fox this summer, will put celebrities to the test as they are “faced with authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars,” Fox announced Wednesday.“Good news for our celebronauts from Mission Control,” Shatner joked in the release. “Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, you’ll weigh 62% less.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 9 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired April 12 on Fox. It was “Masked Singer in Space Night,” but “The Masked Singer” could have also been celebrating “’90s Night.” That’s because the two celebrities unmasked on Wednesday’s episodes were both TV stars from that era: Melissa Joan Hart (of “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” fame) and Alicia Witt (“Cybill,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus”). Hart was revealed to be Lamp, while Witt was Dandelion. Witt had won the previous week as Dandelion, but her journey ended here. For Dandelion, panelist Ken Jeong guessed Witt right. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg thought it was Milla Jovovich. Robin Thicke went with Sara Bareilles and Nicole Scherzinger named Zooey Deschanel.

Fox is sending celebrities to “Mars” for its latest competition series.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox Nation is moving further into reality TV with the launch of new series “The Real Hatfields & McCoys: Forever Feuding.” Launching April 24 on the Fox News-backed streaming service, the five-episode series “will spotlight the modern-day Hatfields and McCoys whose notoriously violence-ridden relationship has taken a contemporary twist. From the families’ brutal disputes in the 1800s to current 21st century issues, the program, set in West Virginia, highlights their ongoing rivalry.” Per Fox Nation, “Hatfield family members including Nancy Justus (the oldest surviving direct descendent of Devil Anse Hatfield), Missy Lester, Amber Bishop, Chad Bishop and Christopher Champagne will be featured on the program, while the McCoys’ Big Jim, Courtney Quick, Derek DeProspero, Casandra Champagne, James Quick and John Quick will appear.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large NBC’s “Today Show” has earned an Institutional Award from Peabody, the org announced Wednesday. The 71-year-old morning news program was selected by the Peabody Board of Jurors for this year’s honor, which “recognizes institutions and organizations, as well as series and programs, for their enduring body of work and their iconic impact on both the media landscape and the public imagination.”  “For nearly three quarters of a century, ‘Today’ has been a morning staple for millions of Americans and a consistent cultural touchstone for deeply moving human stories, groundbreaking news, and daily joy,” Peabody executive director Jeffrey Jones said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to recognize the program, not only for their decades of stellar reporting and storytelling, but also for their undeniable impact on culture and an informed public.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Fox has partnered with McDonald’s to launch a “The Masked Singer”-themed Happy Meal at stores starting April 4. Dubbed the ‘Masknificent’ Happy Meal, the item will feature one of 12 plush toys inspired by one of the “Masked Singer” costumes that have been showcased over the series’ nine season. Kids (or adults who — shhh — can order a Happy Meal too) will also finding a guessing game to play before discovering which character is in the box. Each toy will be in opaque wrapping with a special clue as to which character is hiding within. The game, of course, mimics the unmasking seen on “The Masked Singer.” Characters from seasons past that will be included are T-Rex, Peacock, Thingamajig, Miss Teddy, White Tiger, Space Bunny and others. (One toy per box.) The Happy Meal boxes will also include a scannable code that directs customers to a ‘Masknificent’ AR experience in which they can use their phones or tablets to design their own “Masked Singer” stage featuring filters and music. Through the experience, their plush toy will take part in a virtual concert.