‘The Garcias’ Shopped by Producers After HBO Max Cancels Family Show

Fans who have been waiting to see Avatar: The Way of Water on their favorite streaming platform are in luck!

Joseph Fiennes is giving his take on the Harry Potter television series adaptation that has been set up at Max.

Ethan Shanfeld Variety garnered a record 96 nominations for the SoCal Journalism awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club, with nods across magazine and entertainment journalism, art and photography, video, audio, online content and social media during the 2022 calendar year. Among the nominations announced Friday were Tim Gray for print journalist of the year and Clayton Davis for online journalist of the year. In addition, Owen Gleiberman, Chris Willman and Daniel D’Addario were nominated as entertainment journalists of the year. “We are extremely proud of our newsroom for a banner year in record-breaking traffic, hard-hitting investigative journalism, profile writing and video. These nominations are a testament to the great work Variety is doing covering the entertainment industry,” said Variety co-editor-in-chiefs Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor A birthday ritual at her daughter’s preschool gave Cindy Chupack the inspiration to write her first children’s picture book. When her daughter Olivia was a toddler, Chupack, a veteran TV and film writer and two-time Emmy winner, was invited to read a special picture book to the preschool class to celebrate Olivia’s birthday. As she turned the pages, Chupack quietly struggled with lines like “You were in my tummy” and other references that did not reflect her experience of starting a family through adoption. “I remember wanting to have something that would address all the different ways that families are formed,” Chupack told Variety of the spark that led her to write “We Waited for You: Now We’re a Family,” with illustrator Emily Hamilton. “I wanted something that would be validating to parents who have gone through a lot to get their child.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The trailer for Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s Cannes entry “The Mother of All Lies” debuts here (below). The documentary hybrid, about the lies that pervaded El Moudir’s childhood in Casablanca, has its premiere in Un Certain Regard on May 24. World sales are being handled by Autlook Filmsales. The film starts with El Moudir wanting to know why she has only one photograph from her childhood, and why the girl in the picture isn’t even her. To get to the truth, El Moudir and her father build a miniature set that recreates their neighborhood, and bring the whole family to the soundstage where it is built.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Let the gig economy debate begin. One of the most contentious issues in the writers strike that erupted May 2 is the assertion by the Writers Guild of America that screenwriting is in danger of becoming part of the “gig economy.” The WGA’s proposed solutions — mandatory staffing minimums and guaranteed weeks of employment — are equally dividing labor and management. Now that contract talks between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have cratered, complex issues are being chewed over by writers who are fired up, walking in circles (literally) and wound up about the long-term employment picture for Hollywood scribes.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Ellen Stutzman, the Writers Guild of America West’s chief negotiator, was out early Monday morning taking part in the family-themed picket that drew big crowds of striking writers and their children — including a few furry family members — to the sidewalks outside Netflix headquarters at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue in Hollywood. Stutzman’s presence at the location that has been one of the most heavily trafficked picketing sites was praised by WGA members who feel that guild leaders are going the extra mile to provide support and communication on the strike that began May 2. Stutzman, who brought her young son Mateo in a stroller, said the next steps in the process of coming to agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are self-evident.

#WGAStrong. On the day that HBO called to suspend my deal after 25 years of writing television for them, I was doing the write thing.

launch its rebranded Max streaming service on May 23, plans to focus on family-friendly content. “The more people that use it in the family, the more engaged people are, the broader the offering, the lower the churn,” Zaslav noted.

BreAnna Bell “Fboy Island” is officially moving to The CW. The network has ordered a third season of the reality dating series as well as a new spinoff, “Fgirl Island.” The news comes after the series was canceled by HBO Max after the release of Season 2, along with several other original unscripted shows. “With its innovative and modern twist on the reality dating genre, incredibly talented host Nikki Glaser, and truly unforgettable title, ‘Fboy Island’ on The CW is a perfect match,” commented Olander. “Along with our partners at STXtelevision, we look forward to growing the franchise on The CW with the gender-flipping spinoff ‘Fgirl Island’ and cannot wait to introduce the next generation of FBoys and FGirls to existing fans as well as a new broadcast audience.”

“FBOY Island” has a new life and a new home.The reality TV dating series, hosted by Nikki Glaser, has been picked up for a third season by The CW after being canceled on HBO Max. The third installment of the series is set to air on The CW this fall.In addition to the season order, the network also has plans for a spin-off titled “FGIRL Island” where the gender roles are reversed.

Award-winning writer-directors Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin joined the Deadline FYC House event on Friday to discuss their HBO record-breaking drama, The Last of Us.

William Earl Variety will return in-person with its TV FYC Fest on June 7 in L.A., featuring HBO/Max Chief Casey Bloys, Kerry Washington, Elle Fanning, Janelle James, Gina Rodriguez and Weird Al Yankovic. Fanning (“The Great”), James (“Abbott Elementary”), Rodriguez (“Not Dead Yet”) and Washington (“UnPrisoned”) will participate in a roundtable celebrating Disney’s TV female comedy standouts. Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content will offer his vision for TV storytelling with Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, in what will be his first interview following the series finale episode of “Succession.”

HBO and HBO Max (which is now dubbed “Max”) have been making a lot of decisions about their renewals and cancellations in 2023 so far.

The critically-acclaimed HBO Max comedy series “The Other Two” returns with its third season next month. Starring Heléne Yorke, Drew Tarver, Case Walker, and Molly Shannon, the show was created by former “Saturday Night Live” co-head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider.

William Earl Nicholas Stango has been promoted to executive producer of video for Variety, a role where he’ll oversee all editorial video production for one of the biggest brands in entertainment news. “Nick is a thoughtful, innovative leader who has created some of our most successful video franchises,” say Variety co-editors-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton. “Under his watch, we can’t wait for Variety to continue to grow as the No. 1 destination in the digital space for videos about the entertainment industry.” Since Stango was promoted in February, Variety‘s video team has been on a winning streak. In the 24 hours following the start of the 2023 Oscars red carpet, Variety notched its highest-ever day of social traffic, racking up 122 million video views across platforms. 

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Producer Steven Paul has optioned the rights to “Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy,” with plans to develop the nonfiction bestseller by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams as a TV series. The book, published by Penguin Random House in February, tells the sordid, behind-the-scenes story of the battle for control of Sumner Redstone’s media empire. The book has been the talk of the town in Hollywood as industry insiders learn the unvarnished details behind the recent history of Sumner and Shari Redstone, Viacom, CBS Corp., Leslie Moonves and a host of other prominent figures. Paul is in the process of recruiting a writer to develop the property as a limited series through his SP Media Group. The deal was brokered for Stewart and Abrams by CAA’s Ron Bernstein and SP Media president Scott Karol.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The inside story behind the ascent of Finland’s outgoing prime minister, Sanna Marin, is the subject of a new three-part docuseries from HBO Max. The streamer has unveiled the Finnish original “First Five,” which is billed as an “intimate” portrait of Marin and her headline-grabbing female cabinet. The project comes just weeks after Marin and her centre-left Social Democratic Party was defeated by the conservative National Coalition Party. Marin was sworn in as prime minister in December 2019. At just 34 years old, she was the country’s youngest PM, and formed a cabinet with four other women — a number of whom were also under 35. Mere months later, the group was thrown into an unprecedented challenge when the COVID crisis hit Finland.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor This year, Variety’s Power of Law breakfast at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on April 19 is treating attendees to not one but two keynote conversations with industry players: showrunner Damon Lindelof, interviewed by Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton, and executive Erica Huggins, interviewed by Variety Chief Production Officer Claudia Eller. At the Power of Law event – where City National Bank is the presenting partner and Signature Resolution is an official partner – the pair will offer their insights into the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape to an audience of invited attorneys who form this year’s Legal Impact Report honorees.

The Mandalorian are divided after the finale of season three.*This article includes spoilers*The last episode of the third season was released on Disney+ this morning (April 19), and has already divided fans over its surprisingly optimistic conclusion.In ‘The Return’, Grogu and Bo Katan Kryze (played by Katee Sackhoff) pursue their mission to rescue the show’s lead character Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal) — who was captured by the antagonist Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in last week’s episode.Using Grogu’s powers with the force and both Din Djarin and Bo Katan’s strengths as Mandalorian warriors, the trio finally defeat the villain and reclaim the planet Mandalore for their people.Drawing the season to a close, the episode ends on an upbeat note and viewers see Din formally adopting Grogu as his child and giving him the name Din Grogu. The pair are also given a home in a cabin by the character of Greef Karga – played by Carl Weathers.However, many fans have been left divided by the conclusion.