Partnership Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

It’s been promoted and pushed for weeks on teasers for The Kardashians. And now, we finally get to see it go down!

The Lifetime channel has extended its partnership with child safety activist Elizabeth Smart with the green light to produce a new film entitled “Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.”This new film comes after Lifetime’s success with “The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story,” a thriller movie based on the true crime story of Kara Robinson, who was abducted by serial killer Richard Evonitz. “Abducted by My Teacher” will tell the story of Elizabeth Thomas, who was groomed and kidnapped at the age of 15 by her high school teacher. The movie is set to star Michael Fishman (“Roseanne”) and Summer Howell (“Harland Manor”), and it will premiere on Saturday, Aug.

EXCLUSIVE: Hulu is expanding its unscripted slate with the addition of three new series featuring Big Boi, Rachael Ray and Bill Kurtis, along with a second season of house flipping series 50/50 Flip. All hail from A+E Networks’ factual production groups Six West Media and Category 6 Media and will premiere in 2023-2024.

Religion of Sports and Showtime Sports are teaming up on “Goliath,” a new three-part docuseries examining the life, career and impact of basketball icon Wilt Chamberlain from his emergence on the national scene as a high schooler in the 1950s through his death in 1999.“We are honored to team up with this group of talented filmmakers to bring the under-examined story of Wilt Chamberlain’s complex life to the masses,” Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said in a statement. “Everybody knows Wilt for his legendary accomplishments on the basketball court — scoring 100 points in a game, averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds in a season — but there’s so much more to him than his stats.

Neom, the Saudi Arabian region that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, and prolific Middle East-focused studio Telfaz11, have revealed a partnership. The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.

Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning production hub Neom has locked a partnership with the film and digital content production and finance company Telfaz11.

Thania Garcia Composer Nicholas Britell, who has scored films for Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”) and Adam McKay (“The Big Short,” “Vice,” “Don’t Look Up”), as well as HBO’s “Succession,” has inked a new label services deal with Secretly Distribution. The Emmy-winning composer, pianist and producer collaborated with Secretly to release “Succession: Season 4 (HBO Original Series Soundtrack)” on global streaming services — just hours after the highly-anticipated series finale aired — via the composer’s newly launched Lake George Music Group imprint. “It has long been a dream of mine to release music through my own label, and I’m tremendously excited to have the final season of ‘Succession’ as our label’s first release,” said Britell in a statement. “Lake George Music Group is proud to partner with the team at Secretly.”

Only nine directors have ever won the Palme d’Or twice. Francis Ford Coppola did it in the ’70s with The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. Ruben Östlund joined the club last year after following The Square with Triangle of Sadness. But this year, there is a very real possibility that, at 86, Ken Loach may go above and beyond that by winning a third Palme for his new film, The Old Oak. Loach first won in 2006 with the historical Irish drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley, then doubled up in 2016 with I, Daniel Blake, a caustic study of Britain’s healthcare crisis. After that came Sorry, We Missed You, a no-less withering look at the punitive gig economy. Like the latter two films, The Old Oak is set in the North East of England and completes an unofficial trilogy, this time with a slightly more optimistic bent. Like all of Loach’s output since 1996, it was written by Paul Laverty, and the pair sat down with Damon Wise to discuss the film’s themes of humanity and social responsibility.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Live sports streaming service DAZN and social analytics firm Videocites have forged a partnership to fight rampant sports content piracy in the social media sphere. Dubbed “The Netflix of Sports,” DAZN is a leading premium live sports platform with a footprint comprising Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, U.S. and the U.K. The company boasts that Videocities’ cutting-edge technology will now enable DAZN to automatically remove 98% of the thousands of pirated streams detected on social media within minutes with unprecedented efficiency, it said in a statement. NBA Equity is an investor in Videocites which has several offices around the world, including in Tel Aviv and one recently opened in New York.  

Naman Ramachandran Film and TV finance company FilmHedge has joined forces with Riveting Entertainment Group in a $25 million first-look financing production partnership to significantly expand Riveting Films. The companies will collaborate on a broad slate of feature length films with the first one planned to begin production within the year. The deal was revealed at the ongoing Cannes Film Market, where FilmHedge is a sponsor of the Producers Network and the International Film Finance Forum. In addition to the financing deal, film and TV production company Southbox Entertainment (“Collateral Data,” “Witch Hunt”) has the option to provide supplementary equity financing to the collaboration, as well as future productions from Riveting Films.

Naman Ramachandran Entertainment One (eOne) has solidified its collaboration with U.K. independent production company Hardcash Productions through an exclusive first-look agreement. Under the deal, brokered by Kate Cundall, eOne’s VP of acquisitions, and Robin Barty-King, Hardcash’s business affairs consultant, the partnership aims to develop and produce investigative factual content for the global market. eOne will handle international rights for all projects resulting from this collaboration. Previously, eOne and Hardcash worked together on the distribution of award-winning documentaries such as “Inside China,” “Fearless: The Women Fighting Putin” and “Outbreak: The Virus that Shook the World,” which have been sold to over 160 territories worldwide.

IMAX is ramping up its operations in France, as well as expanding its longstanding relationship with Kinepolis in Europe and North America. In France, IMAX will aim to nearly triple the number of its systems from the 22 currently in operation to more than 60. One of those will be in partnership with Belgian exhibitor Kinepolis in Nimes.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Haley Lu Richardson’s drink of choice is a tequila soda. When she’s not at her Los Angeles home with her cat Derbin, dancing alone to Phoebe Bridgers (Richardson’s activity of choice when she needs to recharge), the actor can be found sipping the classic mixer at any one of the star-studded events she’s attended over the past year. Following the 27 year-old’s breakout role as Portia in HBO’s “The White Lotus,” she’s been everywhere from Oscar after parties to her first New York Fashion Week. However, Richardson’s most thrilling night out was hundreds of miles outside of Hollywood, before the world was introduced to Portia. While filming “The White Lotus” in the desolate Italian city of Taormina, Richardson planned an excursion to Palermo with the entire cast to celebrate Adam DiMarco’s birthday, where they ended up at a strip club.

Naman Ramachandran Stephen Graham’s Matriarch Productions has set a development and production partnership with Warp Films. Graham (“The Virtues,” “Boiling Point,” “Time,” “Help”) previously collaborated with Warp on his breakout role of Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in award-winning film and series “This is England.” Matriarch, co-founded by Graham and his actor-producer wife Hannah Walters (“Time,” “Boiling Point,” “Malpractice,” “This is England”), is working on several development projects with Warp, whose credits also include “Submarine,” “Four Lions” and “Tyrannosaur.” Hayley Squires (“I, Daniel Blake,” “Adult Material”) is working on a development script, with more names to be announced imminently. Projects developed through the new partnership will be co-produced by the two companies.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Black Eyed Peas frontman and veteran producer, entrepreneur and motor-racing enthusiast Will.I.Am has announced a partnership with Formula 1 that he’s launching with a new single with Lil Wayne titled, naturally enough, “The Formula.” Will is Formula 1’s new Global Artist in Residence, and the 2023 FIA Formula 1 championship season will see the release of more F1-inspired tracks as part of a Global Artist in Residence alliance, culminating in a new Will.I.Am solo album slated for the fall of 2023.  “The Formula” is the first music to be released and will also be featured within the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix broadcast on May 7. 

Despite all of the upheaval at Twitter under new owner Elon Musk in recent months, the social media firm and NBCUniversal say they have gotten their earliest start yet in ramping up their Olympic Games partnership.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Fast-rising R&B star Brent Faiyaz has struck a wide-ranging partnership with Steve Stoute’s company UnitedMasters that spans a recording partnership and a creative agency. UnitedMasters CEO and founder Steve Stoute says, “Brent Faiyaz is one of the most prolific independent artists today and we are extremely excited to embark on this new partnership with him. It’s been inspiring to watch his journey as an artist over the years and with this partnership we look to further amplify his creative vision and support his entrepreneurial ambitions.”

Adidas shareholders have filed a class action lawsuit against the sportswear company in relation to the collapse last year of its partnership with Kanye West.They claim that bosses there were aware of the problematic behaviour of the firm’s long-term celebrity partner and therefore should have done more to mitigate the commercial impact of any controversy that would necessitate the axing of that partnership.West and Adidas had a long and very profitable alliance around the former’s Yeezy brand, but that came to an end last October in the wake of the rapper making a number of racist and antisemitic statements.At the time, the sportswear firm stated: “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness”.“After a thorough review”, it went on, “the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies.

Naman Ramachandran Indian streamer Sony LIV and production house Applause Entertainment have extended their existing partnership with two new series and renewals for four more. Among the new series, “36 Days,” produced in association with BBC Studios India is a suspense thriller, directed by Vishal Furia, featuring an ensemble cast including Neha Sharma, Purab Kohli, Shruti Seth, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Amruta Khanvilkar, Sharib Hashmi, Shernaz Patel, Faishal Rashid, Chahat Vig and Kenneth Desai. “Kafas” (“Cage”) is a social drama series starring Sharman Joshi, Mona Singh, Vivan Bhathena, Preeti Jhangiani and Mikail Gandhi in lead roles and directed by Sahil Sangha.

Warner Bros Discovery has signed a multi-year licensing deal with Viacom18 under which its JioCinema service will become the new streaming home of HBO, Max Original and Warner Bros content in India starting next month. 

Indian streamer SonyLIV has ordered two new series, social drama Kafas and suspense thriller 36 Days, from production powerhouse Applause Entertainment, along with four returning shows. 

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has shared details about its forthcoming 57th edition, which runs from June 30 – July 8.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Turkish TV content powerhouse Medyapim and digital distribution company Merzigo and have forged a partnership that aims to boost the global circulation of its vast library of Turkish dramas. The four-year agreement between Medyapim and Merzigo, which uses cutting-edge technology to provide innovative monetization, marketing and distribution services, will facilitate the global distribution of Turkish content in many regions, including Latin America, Africa and Asia, the companies said in a statement. The service will provide viewers a range of more than 20 language options. Medyapim, which comprises several subsidiaries and partners including MF Yapim, Madd, and Mednova, has a library of more than 10,000 hours of TV content spanning from dramas and sitcoms to feature films and game shows. Their hit shows include “Mother” (pictured); “A Woman Scorned”; and “A Fairy Tale.”

Mrs Hinch has ended her partnership with Tesco after just two years, as she looks to focus on "other projects," according to reports.The 33 year old, real name Sophie Hinchcliffe, landed a lucrative deal with the supermarket giant two years ago and has gone on to release products in collaboration with Tesco, including homeware products, garden furniture and clothing. The first Mrs Hinch x Tesco collection launched in January 2021, with items including loungewear, candles, bedlinen and more, all designed in Sophie's signature grey and silver colour scheme.

Paramount+ and Formula 1 racing are revving up a first-of-its-kind promotional partnership heading into the 2023-2024 season. The deal, announced Wednesday, will include Paramount-centered Fan Zones featuring the studio’s hit series, blockbuster movies and beloved characters at official F1 events, trackside signage, digital sponsorships and more.

Kid Rock has hit out at Anheuser-Busch over its partnership with trans activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who is a Bud Light brand influencer.Mulvaney, who has over 10million followers on TikTok, posted a video advertising the company’s ‘Easy Carry’ contest, which offers customers a chance to win $15,000.The company also sent her a personalised can with her face and a message on the top reading ‘Cheers to 365 Days of Being a Woman’, to commemorate 365 days since she began her gender transition.In response, a number of conservatives shared their supposed anger over the partnership, criticising Mulvaney and encouraging other right-wingers to attack the TikTok star.Kid Rock joined in with these attacks last week when he posted a video of himself using a semi-automatic rifle to shoot bullets at several cases of Bud Light which had been placed on top of a table by a river.“Grandpa is feeling a little frisky today. Let me tell you as clear and concise as possible,” he said before shooting the beer.

Nike is showing support for the LGBTQ community amid the transphobic backlash Dylan Mulvaney has been receiving for her partnership with the brand.

Thania Garcia Beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch has found itself at the center of a controversial debate surrounding its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who was recently recruited to promote the brand’s March Madness contest. The conversation escalated into a highly publicized online protest when Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting three cases of Bud Light with an assault rifle — all while sporting a MAGA hat. “Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch,” he declared in the video, which now has over 50,000 re-tweets and 200,000 likes. Country singer Travis Tritt also vocalized his displeasure, tweeting that he would no longer support Anheuser-Busch, the company that produces Budweiser and Bud Light.