‘Shadow and Bone’ Author Leigh Bardugo Signs With WME (EXCLUSIVE)

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Welcome Villain Films, a relatively new genre studios, has acquired North American rights to the gory thriller “Beaten to Death.” The company plans to release the film in select theaters this summer with a digital release to follow. Directed by Sam Curtain from a script he co-wrote with Benjamin Jung-Clarke, “Beaten to Death” unfolds after a desperate choice leads a man named Jack down a path that leaves him beaten and bruised as he struggles against man, nature, and his own insanity. According to the official logline, Jack, “stranded in the middle of nowhere after barely surviving a horrific assault, encounters one local after another and quickly learns that a sick game of cat and mouse is about to begin. Battling the deranged country psychos and the harsh landscape, Jack must go to extreme lengths to survive.”

The ultimate wedding date! Kristen Doute’s romance with Luke Broderick started as a summertime hookup, but quickly became something more.

EXCLUSIVE: Rachael Leigh Cook, star of ‘90s movies including She’s All That, has signed a wide-ranging deal with Fox’s Marvista Entertainment.

Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards are taking a walk down memory lane. The sisters sat down with ET to «Spill the E-Tea» and got emotional talking about their relationship, their kids, and being grandparents. «What is the best part of having me as your big sister?» Kathy asks Kim. «Oh, anything, so I get to say there are many parts to help me as a big sister that I love so much. One I just love, I look up to you for everything that you do. I look at it and I admire it,» Kim says. While getting emotional, she continues, «I love love.

The body of an American man missing for almost two months has been discovered in a secret burial site in Mexico.

Alyssa Farah Griffin noted “I’m talking to just some people who are still semi-close to Trump, who say he’s very nervous over this. He does think an arrest is coming.”And yet, to Seth Meyers’ eyes, Trump was one of the many Republican figures who were “caught off guard” when the news came down.“In fact, he was apparently so unprepared, he didn’t have a social media post ready to go, as evidenced by the fact that his first comment about the news had a typo in what I would call a pretty important word,” Meyers said.That word, of course, was “indictment” itself.

Abigail Zwerner, a Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student earlier this year, is suing her school’s administrators for $40 million, claiming they failed to protect her against the violent child!

BreAnna Bell BET has announced its upcoming docuseries special from Gabrielle Union titled, “My Journey to 50.” The two-part special serves as Union’s first project to come from her overall deal with the company, which was announced last June. The documentary follows the “L.A.’s Finest” alum as she jets off with her husband Dwyane Wade, family, friends and loved ones on a journey across Africa from the island of Zanzibar to the coast of Ghana to the parks of Namibia and the nightlife of South Africa in celebration of her 50th birthday. “We join Gabrielle, along with her family and closest friends, as she embarks on a journey that sheds light on the woman she once was and honors who she is in the present while discovering the deeply rooted, badass that she has always been. On this journey, she’ll walk the path of her heritage, gain wisdom and shed what no longer works for her while welcoming others to relearn, rediscover and reconnect as we collectively celebrate our most authentic selves,” reads the show’s official synopsis, per BET.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed rising Australian actor Luke Bracey for representation in all areas.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “Blue Jean” director Georgia Oakley has signed with CAA. The up-and-coming British filmmaker made her debut feature with the Venice-premiering “Blue Jean,” which bowed to wide acclaim on the Lido in September. Set in northeast England in the 1980s, the pic is centred on a closeted gym teacher (played by Rosy McEwen) who is forced to confront her sexuality after taking a gay student under her wing. The film tackles the Margaret Thatcher era’s controversial Section 28 law, which prohibited British schools and councils from “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” The law was passed in 1988 and stayed in place until 2003.

Matteo Berrettini leads the way on a jog with Melissa Satta in Miami, Fla., on Tuesday afternoon (March 28).

EXCLUSIVE: Actor, professional dancer and content creator Woody McClain has signed with M88 for representation. M88 will create and develop opportunities for McClain in the entertainment and strategic partnership spaces.

Marta Balaga New York-based conglomerate Big Media has signed with RCTV International Corp. to become the exclusive distribution partner to parent company RCTV’s catalog for FAST and AVOD platforms worldwide.   Under the terms of the agreement, Big Media will distribute over 7,000 hours of telenovelas to streaming platforms around the world. It will also serve as the exclusive distributor of RCTV’s catalogue for all forms of broadcast in Europe and Asia.  “Our partnership with RCTV International is one of the most significant in our company’s 14-year history. RCTV’s catalog of telenovelas is unparalleled, both in terms of quality and quantity,” said Juan Fernández, Big Media’s head of Latin America and Spanish-speaking U.S. distribution. 

Naman Ramachandran Writer-director Jesper Ganslandt has signed with CAA for representation. Ganslandt made his debut with “Falkenberg Farewell” in 2006. The coming-of-age film followed a group of friends who grew up in the titular town of Falkenberg and spend a last summer there before moving to the big city. The film debuted at Venice and had a stellar festival run including Toronto, Reykjavik, Tallinn Black Nights and Goteborg. It was nominated for the Nordic Council’s Film Prize, chosen as Sweden’s submission for the Academy Awards, and was nominated in several categories at the Guldbagge Awards in 2007, including best film, best direction and best screenplay. It won the FIPRESCI Award at the IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival.

HYBE Labels subsidiary ADOR, home to K-pop girl group NewJeans, have opened online auditions for a potential new boyband.Today (March 28), ADOR unveiled several posters and videos on social media and YouTube announcing its ‘The Real Hype Boys’ audition. The label will be accepting online auditions on ador.world from now until 1pm KST on April 14.An unnamed male trainee as well as the members of NewJeans feature in the promotional video for the auditions, which details the online application period and host countries where in-person auditions will take place.Per ADOR’s guidelines, the auditions are open to boys born between 2004-2012.

Proving once again why she’s one of the most relatable celebs out there, Stacey Solomon shared a mini photo shoot she’d done with herself on Instagram after admitting she hadn’t felt like herself recently. Stacey, 33, posted the series of selfies on Sunday night, showing herself wearing a white slogan sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans, with her long blonde hair looking glossy and straightened and some gold chains around her neck.The mum of five has been sharing her life following the birth of daughter Belle in January, and in true Stacey style, she hasn’t been holding back from giving her followers a realistic look at life with a newborn.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Writer and director He Shuming has signed with Sugar23, the multimedia and management company founded by Oscar-winning producer, manager and entrepreneur Michael Sugar. The signing comes following He’s breakout debut feature “Ajoomma,” about a widow obsessed with Korean soap operas who travels abroad for the first time to Seoul, finding more than she had bargained for in the process. That movie collected several nominations and prizes on the film festival circuit. It premiered at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival in the New Currents section; was nominated at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Film; received four nominations at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, including Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actor; and won the Film AIUla Audience Award for Best Film at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

BreAnna Bell Kamie Crawford has signed with CAA for representation. She continues to be represented by Range Media Partners and Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver, and Thompson. Perhaps most known for her role as a host on MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show” (which she’s hosted since 2018), Crawford recently inked an overall deal with MTV Entertainment Studios in January and has since been named as the host of Paramount+’s “Are You The One?” and MTV’s “Ex on the Beach.” The former series, which ran for 8 seasons on MTV before jumping to the streamer, returned after three years off the air in January. She also hosted HBO Max’s “Sweet Life: Los Angeles” reunion special.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Nearly a week after the Oscars, the hurt and disappointment of a missed opportunity still weighs heavily on the minds of some South Asian American dancers, who are setting out to ensure it never happens again. Many in the South Asian dance community were dismayed by the astonishing dearth of South Asian representation in the “Naatu Naatu” performance at Sunday’s Academy Awards. While singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava were on hand to perform their hit tune from Tollywood smash “RRR” — which made history for India that night by winning best original song — they were joined on stage by not a single dancer of South Asian heritage.

Marta Balaga It has been over 20 years since Cédric Klapisch delighted audiences with his 2002 comedy “Pot Luck” about a group of twentysomethings sharing a flat in Barcelona.  Featuring the likes of Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cécile de France and “Yellowstone” star Kelly Reilly, the film – also known as “The Spanish Apartment” – has spawned two sequels: “Russian Dolls” and “Chinese Puzzle.”  Now, French director is putting the old team back together in the Amazon Prime Video series “Greek Salad,” which opens Series Mania on March 17. But there is a twist.