NEW HIRE U.K. podcast production outfit Blanchard House has tapped HBO Max podcasting strategy director Hassan Chaudhry as its new head of partnerships and strategy, Variety can exclusively reveal. Meanwhile Amica Sciortino Nowlan, formerly of The Economist, joins as managing producer. The new hires come ahead of a busy year for the podcast outfit, which…

The U.K.’s Channel 4 has commissioned Wonderhood Studios to produce a documentary film charting the life of Angel Lynn, a young woman who suffered severe life-changing injuries while trying to escape an abusive relationship. The life of Lynn, an 18-year-old college student from Loughborough with ambitions to become a forensic scientist, changed forever when she started a…

Popular game show format “Deal or No Deal” is making a comeback on U.K. broadcaster ITV and streamer ITVX. In the show, a contestant is confronted with 22 sealed boxes, each one hiding a different amount of money. Without knowing what each one contains, the contestant must eliminate the boxes, which are opened one at…

Japanese animation film “Suzume” made just shy of $50 million on its opening weekend in mainland Chinese theaters. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, shows “Suzume” grabbing the top spot at the box office with $49.6 million (RMB342 million) between Friday and Sunday. That is the biggest opening score by any film this year outside of…

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 4 premiere of “Succession,” now streaming on HBO Max. In the season premiere of “Succession” — despite having gotten the deal he seemingly wanted — media titan Logan Roy (Brian Cox) paces through his birthday party, looking lost and miserable. Having pushed away his adult children Kendall…

Hit Japanese animation “Suzume” improved its box office performance in its third week of release in South Korea and remained far ahead of all competing titles. “Suzume” earned $6.06 million over the weekend between Friday and Sunday, a 7% increase on its previous weekend, itself a strong hold that almost equalled its opening session. Data…

The cannibalist startup in “Sweeney Todd” kills two birds: For Sweeney, the ruined barber who holds a grudge as steadily as he does a blade, it means turning enemies into actual mincemeat. For Mrs. Lovett, who laments that alley cats were too quick and meager to carve up anyway — well, it’s a living, innit…

Jeremy Renner’s recovery rom his January snow plow accident appears to be progressing, as the actor is seen walking for the first time in his latest update on social media. The “Hawkeye” star posted a video to his Instagram story in which he walks with the assistance of an anti-gravity treadmill. Renner confirms in the…

What happens in Vegas is staying in Vegas. Adele has announced that she has extended her Caesars Palace residency, with performances planned through November. The singer made the announcement Saturday evening during what was originally set to be the final performance of the series. The residency will face a hiatus for three months, returning in…

The U.S. Army has paused its advertising campaign featuring Jonathan Majors in response to the actor’s arrest Saturday for an alleged assault. The two “Be All You Can Be” commercials featuring Majors as an on-screen narrator were pulled Sunday. The U.S. Army plans to continue running other ads in the campaign, maintaining a digital presence…