Ben Wasserstein has entered a first look deal at Richard Plepler’s Eden Productions. Under the deal, Wasserstein will pursue and develop new comedy and drama series, limited series and films for Eden’s multi-year deal with Apple TV+. He will work alongside Heather Karpas, who joined Eden in 2020 after previously working at ICM Partners. Before…

“The Peripheral” has been renewed for Season 2 at Amazon. The series, based on the William Gibson novel of the same name, debuted on Amazon on Oct. 21, 2022. The series stars Chloë Grace Moretz and hails from executive producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan under their Amazon overall deal. Scott B. Smith developed the…

Disney leadership broke down the specifics of the company-wide restructuring Thursday, following CEO Bob Iger’s initial earnings re-org announcement that split the media giant into three divisions: Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. As announced Wednesday, under the new structure, TV chief Dana Walden and film studio head Alan Bergman will be…

FORMAT Fremantle and Kansai TV have launched new entertainment format “Quiz Pong” following a co-development deal initially revealed at MIPCOM 2022. The format was launched in Japan last month by Kansai TV and Fremantle will handle the production and global distribution. “Quiz Pong” is a fast-paced gameshow where teams compete against each other in a fun tournament…

Pamela L. Kunath will become the co-president at Constantin Film Development Inc. in Los Angeles, starting March 1, where she will serve alongside co-president Robert Kulzer. Constantin Film Development develops and produces the English-language productions of German production and distribution powerhouse Constantin Film, best known for the “Resident Evil” franchise. Kunath arrives at Constantin from…

With Bob Iger back in the CEO seat at Disney, will he look to grab full ownership of Hulu from Comcast — or will the company sell its stake as it looks to refocus its streaming portfolio? Iger, not yet 90 days in his reprise as Disney’s CEO, was noncommittal on the question of Hulu’s…

Colin Mochrie has been a staple of American television comedy for 25 years now as an original cast member on the improvisational series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Mochrie, Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady have headlined the show since its 1998 launch on ABC, and they all returned for The CW’s reboot in 2013 after…

Sam Neill has joined the Peacock limited series based on the Liane Moriarty novel “Apples Never Fall,” Variety has learned. Neill will now star in the series alongside previously announced cast member Annette Bening. The show was originally ordered to series at Peacock in February 2022. Per the official logline, the series “centers on the…

Although “Somebody I Used To Know” takes some of its cues from “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Young Adult,” director Dave Franco’s feature blessedly doesn’t overly rely on its cinematic predecessors. He and co-writer Alison Brie deliver the goods in their own hilarious, heartrending story about an emotionally stunted woman who returns home and attempts…

A Spider-Man Noir live-action series is in the works at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively. The untitled series will follow an older, grizzled superhero in 1930s New York City. An individual with knowledge of the project says that the show will be set in its own universe and the main character will not be Peter…