Angelique Jackson Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Sophia Scorziello editor What does it mean to be a funny girl? Actors Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Gina Rodriguez (“Not Dead Yet”) and Kerry Washington (“UnPrisoned”) discuss being a woman in comedy at Variety TV FYC Fest’s Disney Women of Comedy panel, moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson. Each TV character they play — whether she’s an empress of Russia, a public school principal, a family therapist or a journalist who talks to the dead — is layered and complicated. Through comedy, these actors have found the freedom to be contradictory, to not have it all together and to be a little messy.

William Earl Leaders in the TV industry will convene at Variety’s in-person TV FYC Fest on June 7 in Los Angeles, featuring Christina Applegate, Kerry Washington, Elle Fanning and more. Fanning (“The Great”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Rodriguez (“Not Dead Yet”) and Washington (“UnPrisoned”) will participate in a roundtable celebrating Disney’s TV female comedy standouts, moderated by Angelique Jackson, Senior Entertainment Writer, Variety. Jean Smart will present Christina Applegate with the 2023 Variety TV Fest Legacy award, recognizing her storytelling achievements as an actor and producer.

Angelique Jackson Grammy winner Erykah Badu has joined the all-star ensemble for Netflix’s feature adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.” The singer-songwriter (“What Men Want”) will make a cameo, delivering “her soulful sound and eclectic style” with musical performances in the film,” starring Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington. Jackson and Washington reprise their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently received two Tony Award nominations (best revival of a play and best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play for Jackson).

Angelique Jackson SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers are ahead for “Fast X,” which is now playing in theaters. “You believe in ghosts?” Agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) asks at the end of 2011’s “Fast Five.” She’s just presented agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) with a surveillance photo of Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was believed dead after a horrific crash in the fourth film, 2009’s “Fast & Furious.” With one mid-credits coda, the “Fast” franchise established that if you don’t see a body, no one is really dead. (In fact, Rodriguez recently revealed that didn’t know about the third-act twist until she saw “Fast Five” in theaters. “I’m in Paris. I’m like, ‘Oh, hell no,'” she said in Feb. at the “Fast X” trailer launch event, explaining that she called producer and star Vin Diesel right away. “I find out by going to the movies, Vin?” she asked him.)

Angelique Jackson “Nope” standout Brandon Perea is going from surveying one (alien) storm system to chasing another — with the actor signing on to star in the upcoming “Twister” sequel. Perea joins Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos in “Twisters,” directed by “Minari” helmer Lee Isaac Chung from a script by “The Revenant” writer Mark L. Smith. The film, from Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment, is described as a “new chapter” of the 1996 movie, which followed a team of storm chasers as they hunted down the most powerful tornado in decades. Plot details, including Perea’s role, are being kept under wraps.

Angelique Jackson “Beneath the Grass,” a drama about the criminal justice system and marijuana incarceration rates, will hit the market at the Cannes Film Festival next week. Mía Maestro, Quincy Isaiah and Jeff Kober will lead the film, which begins production next month in New Jersey. Paradigm is representing worldwide sales for the film. “Beneath the Grass” is set in 2008, capturing both the economic recession and the “Yes We Can” summer, and follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her young son befriends the new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather.

Angelique Jackson The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has announced the lineup for this year’s Talks Series, headlined by 2023 festival ambassador Lena Waithe. The 27th edition of the festival will be held June 14-18 in Miami Beach, followed by a virtual program June 19-25 on ABFF Play. On Thursday, June 15, the Emmy-winning writer, producer and actor will sit for an intimate one-on-one conversation, billed as “The Lena Waithe Effect,” where she’ll recount her journey in the entertainment industry. In addition to Waithe, the series of conversations and panels also features: “That’s Our Business,” a candid conversation with Tabitha Brown and her husband Chance Brown; a panel discussion with TV One Networks’ Kirk and Tammy Franklin (“The One”) and LisaRaye McCoy (“Asking for a Friend”); a look behind-the-scenes of Bounce TV’s “Act Your Age” starring Kym Whitley and Yvette Nicole Brown; a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with the Xfinity Original Series “Hip House”; and the WBD Access Music Supervisor Panel featuring Morgan Rhodes (“The Color Purple”) and Carolyn Owens (“Cherish the Day”).

Angelique Jackson Pedro Pascal is the latest A-lister in talks for Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Gladiator” sequel. Pascal, who stars in both “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us,” is in final negotiations to join the Paramount movie, joining a cast that already boasts Academy Award nominees Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan, as well as two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The Paramount movie follows 2000’s blockbuster hit “Gladiator,” which was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won five, including best picture. It earned $460 million at the box office. The original film starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman soldier forced into slavery who vows revenge against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Since Maximus dies at the end of “Gladiator,” the yet-to-be-titled sequel focuses on Lucius (Mescal), the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, who is set to reprise her role).

Angelique Jackson “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto has signed on to write Marvel Studios’ “Blade” movie, reuniting with Mahershala Ali, who starred in the third season of his HBO crime series. “Blade” boasts Oscar winner Ali as the title vampire slayer, with Aaron Pierre, Delroy Lindo and Mia Goth among the starry cast. Pre-production on the film is underway, with Pizzolatto taking on writing duties, working from a draft of the script by Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury, which has been said to be “darker than most MCU movies.” Directed by Yann Demange, who helmed “White Boy Rick” and the pilot for “Lovecraft Country,” the film is expected to begin filming in late May in Atlanta.

BreAnna Bell Netflix hosted a royal ball fit with its own royal court from several HBCUs as well as the “Bridgerton” royals at the “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” premiere on Wednesday night. Held at Westwood’s Regency Village Theatre, cast members including executive producer and showrunner Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Golda Rosheuvel, India Ria Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest and Arsema Thomas. Fans announced the stars’ arrival with cheers as they watched them enter the event before officially hitting the red carpet for a night that included crowns for everyone, as well as a surprising introduction from Alicia Keys, whose song “If I Ain’t Got You” received the classical rendition treatment, as Rhimes promised more music from Black queens would be featured in the coming season. The premiere was punctuated by a panel moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson.

Angelique Jackson Time to brush up on the 5 D’s of “Dodgeball” — “dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge” — because a sequel to the 2004 hit comedy is officially in the works. Vince Vaughn is returning to star in the sequel, which is in early development at 20th Century Studios.

Angelique Jackson Longtime film distribution executive Kevin Wilson has been named head of theatrical distribution for Amazon Studios and MGM. News of Wilson’s promotion was shared in a memo to staff from Courtenay Valenti, Amazon Studios and MGM’s head of film, streaming and theatrical. “We are at a very dynamic and exciting time now that the integration of the MGM film group and Amazon Studios is complete,” Valenti wrote, announcing that the studios’ theatrical distribution groups have officially been combined “into one unified team.” Wilson steps into the role following the death of Erik Lomis, who served as MGM’s head of theatrical distribution amid the studio’s acquisition by Amazon. Lomis died in March at 64.

Angelique Jackson Christina Hodson (“The Flash,” “Bumblebee”) and Oren Uziel (“The Lost City,” “22 Jump Street”) will co-write the next ‘Fast and Furious’ movie with “Fast X” helmer Louis Leterrier returning to direct. The 11th film in the Vin Diesel-starring franchise will mark Hodson and Uziel’s first official collaboration together. Last week, Variety exclusively revealed that “The Transporter” helmer would return to serve as director of the next installment of “Fast and Furious” franchise, which serves as a companion film to “Fast X,” opening May 19. Hodson is represented by CAA and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment; Uziel is repped by Curate and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP.

Angelique Jackson “Kokomo City” star Koko Da Doll was found fatally shot on Tuesday in Atlanta. She was 35 years old. The Atlanta Police Department reported that Koko was found with a gunshot wound in Southwest Atlanta shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Koko, whose given name is Rasheeda Williams, was a prominent transgender woman featured in the award-winning documentary “Kokomo City,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film, which marks the feature directorial debut of Grammy-nominated producer, singer and songwriter D. Smith, presents a raw depiction of the lives of four Black trans sex workers living in Atlanta and New York City — Koko, Daniella Carter, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver — as they confront the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, as well as the persistent threat of violence they face each day.

Angelique Jackson “Ted Lasso” standout Juno Temple seems to be trading soccer stars for comic-book antiheroes, as the actor is in negotiations for a lead role in Sony and Marvel’s “Venom 3.” The new movie stars Tom Hardy as the titular lethal protector Venom (and its human host Eddie Brock), one of Sony’s slate of Marvel characters, and will be directed by Kelly Marcel in her feature debut. Character details for Temple are begin kept under wraps. While Temple is perhaps best known for her Emmy and SAG Award-nominated performance as Keely Jones on the hit Apple TV+ series — which may or may not be ending soon — the actor has delivered memorable work in “Atonement,” “Killer Joe,” “Vinyl,” “The Offer” and “Dirty John.” She’s next set to star in FX’s “Fargo,” leading the Season 5 cast alongside Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Temple is represented by UTA, B-Side Management, Maison 2 and Lichter Grossman Nichols.

Angelique Jackson Snoop Dogg’s story is one step closer to the big screen as director Allen Hughes confirmed the Universal biopic about the rapper is set to begin production imminently. “That’s next. We’re starting this summer. I’m so excited,” Hughes told Variety on Tuesday night at the premiere of his upcoming FX docuseries “Dear Mama,” which chronicles the lives of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur. Hughes — an Emmy and Peabody award nominee whose filmography includes “Menace II Society,” “Dead Presidents,” “The Book of Eli” and “The Defiant Ones” — will direct the yet-to-be-titled Snoop Dogg biopic. Announced in November, the Universal movie is the first film produced by Death Row Pictures, following Snoop’s acquisition of Death Row Records in 2022.

Angelique Jackson “Cinnamon” — the inaugural project filmed under Village Roadshow Pictures’ Black Noir Cinema banner, co-founded by NBA all-star Kevin Garnett — has debuted its first trailer. Written, directed and executive produced by Bryian Keith Montgomery Jr., the Tubi original film was selected to make its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and stars Hailey Kilgore, Damon Wayans, Pam Grier, David Iacono and Jeremie Harris. The noir thriller follows a struggling small-town gas station attendant and aspiring singer, named Jodi Jackson, (Kilgore, who displays the singing chops that led to her 2018 Tony nomination for “Once on This Island” in the teaser below) whose life is sent into a tailspin after a fatal crime.

Angelique Jackson The all-star cast for Netflix’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” has been revealed. Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will star in the feature film, reprising their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently concluded its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.

Angelique Jackson After making more than $1.4 billion at the box office, producer Will Packer has gotten into the streaming game with “Praise This.” The Peacock original marks Packer’s first time producing a movie that wasn’t destined for cinemas. While the new distribution plan might seem like a reaction to the hit or miss theatrical business — or the kind of pivot that would happen after a box office bomb, which Packer has yet to suffer, by the way — that’s not what’s behind the change in strategy. “Malleable” is a word Packer has found himself using quite often in reference to the current state of moviemaking.

Angelique Jackson When actor and singer Michaela Jaé Rodriguez landed her big break in 2017, starring as Blanca Evangelista in FX’s “Pose,” it was a rare opportunity for a trans performer to take on a leading role and the type of authentic representation the LGBTQ community continues to fight for in mainstream media. As the show ended its groundbreaking three-season run in 2021, Rodriguez made history as the first transgender performer to win a Golden Globe award and the first to be nominated for an Emmy in a lead category. And the Variety Power of Women honoree hasn’t stopped smashing glass ceilings since. Previously billed as MJ, the entertainer now goes by her full name, Michaela Jaé. She currently stars opposite Maya Rudolph in the Apple TV+ comedy “Loot,” plus she’s stepping behind the scenes to produce movies and hard at work on her long-awaited debut album. With celebrity came the responsibility to advocate for her fellow trans people, and with each new endeavor, Rodriguez’s platform to speak out has grown larger.

Angelique Jackson Christina Milian continues her streak of rom-coms at Netflix with the upcoming holiday movie “Meet Me Next Christmas.” The project marks the actor and musician’s third collaboration with Netflix following her popular destination romances, 2021’s “Resort to Love” — which spent four weeks on the streamer’s global top 10 film list — and 2019’s “Falling Inn Love.” Milian will executive produce and star in “Meet Me Next Christmas,” playing Layla, who, in pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town: the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.

Angelique Jackson “Luce” writer JC Lee is set to make his directorial debut with “Bad Genius,” the upcoming English-language remake of the 2017 hit Thai film “Chalard Games Goeng (Bad Genius).” Picturestart and Picture Perfect Federation are producing the project, which will star Benedict Wong (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) alongside up-and-coming talent Callina Liang (“Tell Me Everything”) and Jabari Banks (“Bel-Air”). The film is financed by Mallory Edens’ Little Ray Media and will begin production in May. The original film was written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Thai film studio GDH 559 Company Limited. The movie debuted at No. 1 at the Thai box office, quickly becoming the country’s highest-grossing Thai film of the year and, ultimately, the most internationally successful Thai film ever.

Angelique Jackson “Beyhive, don’t kill us,” Donald Glover said, with just a hint of nerves in his voice, at the Los Angeles premiere of “Swarm,” his latest series for Amazon’s Prime Video. “It’s not that bad. It’s actually, like, pretty cool.” The quip came at the end of Glover’s remarks on Tuesday night as he introduced the show, which is now streaming. The buzzy, immersive special screening followed the show’s debut as SXSW’s opening night TV offering on March 17. At this event, though, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios, and Vernon Sanders, head of global TV, introduced Glover, which was appropriate since “Swarm” marks his first project under their lucrative overall deal with the “Atlanta” creator and star.

Angelique Jackson Denzel Washington is in final negotiations to join Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Gladiator” sequel, reteaming after 2007’s “American Gangster.” If the deal closes, the two-time Academy Award winner would join newly minted Oscar nominees Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan, whose participation in the project broke Thursday. The sequel follows 2000’s blockbuster hit “Gladiator,” which was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won five, including best picture. It earned $460 million at the box office, and now Scott is returning to direct and produce the sequel. The original “Gladiator” starred Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman soldier forced into slavery who vows revenge against Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Since Maximus dies at the end of “Gladiator,” Mescal will play Lucius, the son of Maximus’ lover Lucilla (played by Connie Nielsen), in the sequel. Keoghan is in negotiations to play Emperor Geta.

Angelique Jackson “Hey Auntie. We love you.” Five simple words from presenters Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, directed at Angela Bassett, who was nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar during Sunday night’s ceremony. As Jordan and Majors took the stage to present the award for best cinematography — two categories after the supporting actress prize went to “Everything Everywhere All At Once” star Jamie Lee Curtis — the two men took a moment to speak to Bassett seated before them. “Hey Auntie,” Jordan began, echoing his dialogue from 2018’s “Black Panther,” as his character Erik Killmonger slyly introduced himself to Bassett’s Queen Ramonda.

Angelique Jackson When Kerry Washington stepped onto the gold and black carpet at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood for the fifth ABFF Honors ceremony on March 5, she had the trailblazing Black women who forged a path for her to become an actor, producer and director on her mind — and an homage to one on her person. “I’m wearing an actual dress that Whitney Houston wore,” Washington told Variety, explaining that “When you get an award for excellence in the arts, you’ve gotta go to Black excellence.” As Washington prepared for the event, where she was honored alongside Courtney B. Vance, Janelle Monáe and Macro’s Charles D. King, plus filmmaker Kasi Lemmons and the cast of “Eve’s Bayou,” all for their contributions to the arts, one word came to mind: community.

Julia MacCary editor “Abbott Elementary” and “Top Gun: Maverick” received top honors at the 60th annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) Publicists Awards luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday. The awards honor individual publicists, unit still photographers and entertainment journalists who further publicity campaigns for film and TV. Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay and senior entertainment reporter Angelique Jackson each earned nominations from ICG. Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary” received the TV showman of the year honor, and the producers of “Top Gun: Maverick” (Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, David Ellison and Christopher McQuarrie) received the honor on the film side, with Bruckheimer accepting on behalf of all four.

Angelique Jackson Amblin Partners has secured the film rights to “Confessions in B-Flat,” with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Octavia Spencer, four-time Oscar-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Aimee Carpenter set to produce. The 2020 novel, from Essence bestselling author Donna Hill, tells an emotional love story set amid the Civil Rights Movement, following two young people, Anita and Jason, who meet and fall in love despite their clashing political beliefs. Maya Dunbar (“Ordinary Joe,” ‘Bluff City Law”) is adapting the book for the screen. Spencer is producing the adaptation via her Orit Entertainment production company, with Carpenter producing under her Marcy Place Productions banner. Executive producers are Brian Clisham and Tara Taylor, with Liz Pelletier serving as co-producer. Jeb Brody, Amblin Partners’ president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, SVP of creative affairs, will oversee the project for the studio.

Angelique Jackson When “Creed III” punched its way to the top of the box office over the weekend with a massive $58.7 million domestic haul, it knocked out a host of records. Directed, produced by and starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the MGM movie notched a franchise-best opening and the biggest domestic opening for a sports movie. With an additional $41.1 million Internationally, the film has already totaled more than $100 million worldwide. “Creed III” is also expected to become MGM’s first non-“Bond” film to gross $100 million domestically since the hit 2019 animated movie “The Addams Family.” There were other impressive stats, including the film’s “A-“ CinemaScore and ticket buyers reported to be 63% male, with 55% between the ages of 18 and 34. The statistics also illustrated a racially diverse audience where 36% were Black, 28% were Latino, 23% were white, and 13% were Asian, according to PostTrak data. The film, which Jordan shot with Imax cameras, also posted an impressive turnout on premium large format screens, with a huge 38% of the box office coming from those ticket sales.

Angelique Jackson Veteran communications executive Claudia Russo has joined United Talent Agency (UTA) as SVP of corporate communications. Russo joins the global talent, entertainment, sports and marketing company from Verizon Business Markets and previously spent 15 years at Fox Television Stations. She begins in her new role immediately and will relocate to Los Angeles from New York this summer. “As our business continues to grow in size, influence and complexity, Claudia’s deep knowledge and experience with both media relations and investor relations will help us continue to elevate our game as we tell UTA’s story on a global stage,” UTA chief communication officer Richard Siklos, announcing Russo’s hiring.