Hallmark Casts Skyler Samuels in Prequel ‘Aurora Teagarden’ Movie Following Candace Cameron Bure Move to Great American Family ​

Fremantle Acquires Majority Stake In Belguim’s A Team ProductionsFremantle has acquired a majority stake in A Team Productions (ATP). Based in Belgium, A Team Productions was founded in 2009 and is led by Kobe van Steenberghe and Hendrik Verthé. The company is behind the 2011 short film Land of the Heroes, which won the International Jury Prize at Berlin in 2011. A Team also produced the short Baghdad Messi, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2014. Other credits from the outfit include Patser (Gangsta) by filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Later this year, A Team will release the feature-length film Baghdad Messi and the high-end fiction series Alter Ego. “I have long admired Kobe, Hendrik, and the whole ATP team’s work,” said Dave Heuten, CEO Fremantle Belgium. “I am excited to be going on this journey with them, finding synergies and developing new content together – I can’t wait to work with this brilliant team and achieve great things together.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok, trying to fend off potential U.S. government ban over security fears related to the app’s Chinese ownership, is touting new figures reflecting how pervasive and popular it is in America. TikTok announced that as of February 2023, the short-form video app has more than 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. In addition, it said, it has almost 7,000 employees in the United States. And it also claims that TikTok “has evolved into the preferred platform” for nearly 5 million American businesses, most of which are small and midsize companies. “We’re honored to be a home for our immensely diverse community in the United States, made up of nearly half the country’s population, including book lovers, foodies, families, emerging artists and so much more,” the company said in the announcement.

Prince Joachim of Denmark has his sights set on America. On Friday, the palace announced that the second son of Queen Margrethe and his wife, Princess Marie, are moving to Washington, D.C., this summer.The 53-year-old will start a new job at the Danish Embassy under the Ministry of Defense on Sept. 1.

Adam Sandler is looking back as his career in comedy is celebrated with a very special honor.Sandler walked the carpet outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, ahead of being honored with the 24th Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor.Sandler spoke with ET's Rachel Smith on the carpet, and reflected on his very first big screen role in a 1989 comedy, which he shot when he was 22 years old, and pre-dated his years on .«That was probably the last time I was excited about the shirt coming off,» Sandler joked about his role as Shecky Moskowitz, an inexperienced stand-up comic on a cruise ship.

Full House cast has got each other's back.Dave Coulier and Candace Cameron Bure spoke to ET's Rachel Smith at '90s Con Saturday, where they dished on the real-life family the stars of the beloved show have created off-set.«We text each other a lot and stay connected, but I think it was Bob's (Saget) memorial,» Coulier said of the last time the whole group was together. «For all of us together.»Bure added, «But Dave doesn't live in California anymore. So, we all see each other more often than we get to see Dave. But we were all together at Jodie's wedding.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer For quite some time now, Christmas has come every day for Ali Afshar. The actor, producer and former race car driver is founder and president of ESX Entertainment, a prolific indie film and TV production company that’s made its name in recent years pumping Yuletide content to streamers amid the pandemic. The projects are modestly budgeted and shot efficiently and safely, mostly due to Afshar’s commandeering of his hometown — a sleepy Sonoma County village called Petaluma, where he built a soundstage from a converted barn and mines below-the-line crew from local residents. Titles include Netflix’s “A California Christmas” and its sequel “City Lights,” and the HBO Max originals “A Christmas Mystery,” “A Hollywood Christmas” and “Holiday Harmony.”

EXCLUSIVE: Great American Family is expanding its Christmas movie slate this year with 21 new original titles, up from 18 in 2022.

Skyler Samuels is taking over!

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will continue its popular Aurora Teagarden Mysteries without longtime star Candace Cameron Bure. It has green-lit the prequel Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New that will premiere later this year.

Emily Longeretta Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is bringing back “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” with a new Aurora. On Thursday, the network announced the return of the franchise with a new prequel series, “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New,” set to premiere later this year. Skyler Samuels will star as young Aurora, while Evan Roderick will play young Arthur. Marilu Henner will return as Aida Teagarden. “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New” is set after Aurora has graduated college and returns home in Lawrenceton. “While her mother, Aida, struggles to keep her newfound real estate business, Aurora supports herself by working as a teacher’s assistant in a crime fiction class, and waitresses at the local diner at night, where she shares her love of researching true crime with her friend Sally and police officer Arthur,” Hallmark’s press release reads. “When Sally’s fiancé doesn’t show up at their wedding rehearsal, Maid of Honor Aurora gets Arthur to help her search for him. When they discover a body, everyone assumes it is Sally’s tardy groom, but when it turns out to be someone else, Sally’s fiancé becomes the main suspect.”

Hallmark is reimagining one of its most popular, long-running mystery movie franchises.Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' , which aired 18 movies from 2015 through early 2022, will return with a prequel film, , led by a new cast, ET can exclusively reveal. Filming will begin shortly.Skyler Samuels () and Evan Roderick () will step into the shoes of young Aurora Teagarden and young Arthur Smith, respectively.

 is on a mission to deliver a dose of justice following the brutal 2019 murder of Rhonda Richardson.In a preview of Saturday's episode dubbed, prosecutor Kelly Siegler and Sgt. Gary Sharpen with the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office in Texas meet with Richardson's daughter, Amanda, in an effort to explore her relationship with her mother.

Cameras are rolling on the movie adaptation of “Mean Girls The Musical”.

Cocaine Bear” has been getting rave reviews, raking in $8.65 million on its opening night, according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo — but not everyone is so fond of the movie.Some “woke” viewers complained the new film is “encouraging drug use” and “not suitable for kids.”The movie — which is rated R for for bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout — is loosely based on a true story. In 1985, a bear was found dead in the Georgia woods after consuming a drug smuggler’s stash of cocaine that was dropped from a plane. “Cocaine Bear” shows the black bear surviving and becoming an addict willing to kill anyone who gets in her way. It follows an ensemble of locals, tourists, criminals and police offers who come together to try to survive the bear’s drug-fueled frenzy.One controversial scene in the movie shows 12-year-olds doing cocaine, which director Elizabeth Banks previously defended.

Kerry Washington paid homage to an icon at the 2023 American Black Film Festival Awards. The actress channeled the late Whitney Houston by donning the same velvet Marc Bouwer dress the singer originally wore at the BET Walk of Fame Awards Gala in 1996. Before Washington took to the red carpet, she posted a playful video on Instagram showing off the dress and paying tribute to the late singer.

Alison Sweeney is back in the shoes of Hannah Swensen for Hallmark Channel!

BreAnna Bell Following the success of their years-long partnership that spawned seven original films including Natalie Morales’ “Plan B” and “Crush,” Hulu Originals has renewed its first look deal with comedy production company American High. Jason Zaro (“Brigsby Bear”) will serve as co-producer across the new slate of films for Hulu. The renewed partnership comes on the heels of the successful release of “It’s a Wonderful Binge” in November 2022, which starred Kaitlin Olson, Danny Trejo, Nick Swardson, Tim Meadows. The movie serves as a sequel to the first Hulu original comedy under the American High banner, “The Binge,” which featured Vince Vaughn, Skyler Gisondo, Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden.

which debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on Hulu; “Banana Split”starring Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato and Dylan Sprouse; “The Binge,” which stars Skyler Gisondo, Dexter Darden, Eduardo Franco and Vince Vaughn; “Looks That Kill” starring Brandon Flynn; Josh Friedlander’s “Holly Slept Over;” “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise” starring Emmy-nominee Madeline Brewer and Keean Johnson; Natalie Morales’ solo feature directorial debut “Plan B;” Talia Osteen’s “Sex Appeal;” Sammi Cohen’s directorial debut “Crush”starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho; and “It’s A Wonderful Binge,” the sequel to the original “Binge”title, which stars Kaitlin Olson, Danny Trejo, Nick Swardson and Tim Meadows and released in November.In addition to producing multiple films per year, American High aims to finance and acquire a number of third-party films that align with the mission of its brand.

Hulu Originals has renewed its first look output deal with American High.

EXCLUSIVE: The Match Factory has unveiled a slew of deals for German director Christian Petzold’s Berlin Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Afire.