‘Sopranos’ Creator David Chase, ‘A Teacher’ Writer Hannah Fidell Set FX Project With Pilot Commitment

The Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd is officially open!

Plans for a new estate of 112 homes have been delayed as the developer was offering no contribution to community services and infrastructure or building any affordable homes. Morris Homes North Ltd hope to build the homes on land north of 659 Radcliffe Road in the Darcy Lever area of Bolton.

Alison Hammond spent some time with the girls after she hit the headlines over the weekend. The This Morning presenter is said to be distraught after a 'blackmailer', once thought to be a friend, demanded money or they'd 'end her career'.

Foster carers in Bury are to set to get a 50 per cent off their council tax bills and increases in payments of up to 34 per cent as the council looks to boost the numbers of carers. The halving of bills, which if councillors approve, will start next year, is part of measures to attract more foster carers and retain the existing skilled and experienced carers.

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.

The 60th annual ICG Publicists Awards Luncheon is underway at the Beverly Hilton, and Deadline is posting the winners as they’re announced. Check out the list below. 

EXCLUSIVE: Fox is moving forward with The Flintstones spinoff series Bedrock.

“The Sopranos” and then there’s everything else.David Chase’s incomparable, serio-comic drama ran from 1999-2007 and made such an impression that it has’t never left the cultural conversation since its infamous cut to black.In fact, “The Sopranos” has remained so relevant that show stars Michael Imperioli (also from the second season of “The White Lotus”), Vincent Pastore and Steve Schirripa are literally talking about their time on the show onstage all over the country.Yet, every show on the tour isn’t just idle chat like what you’d hear at The Bada Bing! though — rather, the former cast members, share behind-the-scenes stories, answer audience questions and review rare video footage.There’s only one problem.Unfortunately, “Christopher Moltisanti,” “Big Pussy” and “Bobby Baccalieri” only have a few gigs lined up this year.At the time of publication, the trio, along with moderator-comedian Joey Kola, have just three speaking engagements scheduled.First up, the trio from the 21-time Emmy winner will chop it up at Boston, MA’s Shubert Theatre on March 11.After that, they’re scheduled to hit Providence, RI’s The Strand Ballroom and Theatre on April 1.Finally, the trio will depart from anywhere even remotely close to New Jersey and head northwest to Warren, MI’s Andiamo Celebrity Showroom on Nov. 4.Woke up this morning and wanted to see “The Sopranos” live?Here’s everything you need to know.A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to buy tickets can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

After creating one of the greatest TV shows of all time, with HBO’s “The Sopranos,” you’d think David Chase would have turned that into a golden ticket to make years and years of whatever TV shows or films he wanted. Instead, he wrote and directed the 2012 film, “Not Fade Away,” and wrote the ‘Sopranos’ prequel, “The Many Saints of Newark.” That’s it.

13D and 13G reports. For those outside of the inside-baseball world of corporate finance: Forty-five days out from the end of the year, companies are required to have filed 13D and 13G disclosure forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are required for investors who amass 5% or more of a company’s total stock issue. Starting with this primer on how to monitor big-dollar investment bets, Variety will offer a quarterly survey of how the media and entertainment sector is faring among the world’s most sophisticated stock pickers.

Another possible role for Henry Cavill in the DC Universe movie franchise has been nixed by James Gunn.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Anthony Anderson is set to star in the ABC comedy pilot “Public Defenders,” Variety has learned. In addition, Liz Astrof has joined the pilot as showrunner while Randall Einhorn has signed on to direct. The single-camera pilot, which was originally picked up at ABC in January, hails from writer Eddie Quintana. The official logline states: “Up to their earholes in student loan debt, four inexperienced public defenders work tirelessly to keep their clients out of jail. Along the way, they have to rely on each other to navigate their first defendants, the absurd court system, and the copy machine that always jams.”

Nicolas Cage has provided a concise reason why he “doesn’t need” to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The actor discussed the current state of superhero movies while accepting the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award at the Miami Film Festival on Sunday (March 5).“I’ve gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage,” the actor said (via Variety). “What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me.”He added: “I understand what the frustration is.

EXCLUSIVE: As his directorial debut Creed III was cresting toward a $100 million global opening weekend and setting numerous records — top opening for the Creed franchise and biggest sports film opening ever and a knockout victory for MGM, new parent Amazon & United Artists Releasing as the company embraces the theatrical release, and Warner Bros (which launched the film overseas) — Michael B. Jordan sat down with me Sunday night as those numbers were piling higher. It was the first in person interview for us since I met him and Ryan Coogler at Cannes for the launch of Fruitvale Station. Trying to rebound from my own family tragedy months earlier, that film was cathartic for me because it was the first time I grieved the death of my father in Hurricane Sandy. I shared that with them, and spent a lot of time with both, and especially Jordan. He was just stepping into stardom and we talked about everything from navigating such a famous name to how much he was obliged to give of himself in interviews and in public. This was at a surreal moment when he was still a little uneasy walking down the Croisette and hearing a person or two calling out “Where’s Wallace,” the meme line about his young character from the series The Wire. I recall walking away from Coogler and Jordan hoping they continued to make strong followup creative choices because all the potential was there. Who knew it might happen so quickly for each of them?

EXCLUSIVE: As his directorial debut Creed III was cresting toward a $100 million global opening weekend and setting numerous records — top opening for the Creed franchise and biggest sports film opening ever and a knockout victory for MGM, new parent Amazon & United Artists Releasing as the company embraces the theatrical release, and Warner Bros (which launched the film overseas) — Michael B. Jordan sat down with me Sunday night as those numbers were piling higher. It was the first in person interview for us since I met him and Ryan Coogler at Cannes for the launch of Fruitvale Station. Trying to rebound from my own family tragedy months earlier, that film was cathartic for me because it was the first time I grieved the death of my father in Hurricane Sandy. I shared that with them, and spent a lot of time with both, and especially Jordan. He was just stepping into stardom and we talked about everything from navigating such a famous name to how much he was obliged to give of himself in interviews and in public. This was at a surreal moment when he was still a little uneasy walking down the Croisette and hearing a person or two calling out “Where’s Wallace,” the meme line about his young character from the series The Wire. I recall walking away from Coogler and Jordan hoping they continued to make strong followup creative choices because all the potential was there. Who knew it might happen so quickly for each of them?

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City” is no longer moving forward at Hulu, Variety has learned. The series had originally been ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022 after originally being put into development there in 2019. At the time it was ordered, Keanu Reeves was attached to star in one of the lead roles with Todd Field onboard to direct. However, Variety exclusively reported that Field had dropped out of the show in October, with Reeves also exiting. According to sources, Reeves had signed on to the series due in part to Field’s involvement, but left the show once Field did.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Marc Guggenheim has been a staple of DC Entertainment on television for over a decade as the co-creator of The CW’s Arrowverse, which launched in 2012 with “Arrow” (Guggenheim developed the series with Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg) and continued through “The Flash,” “Supergirl” and more. In a February 2023 blog post that’s now circulating online (via Entertainment Weekly), Guggenheim lamented over not being included in the new DC Universe that’s taking shape at Warner Bros. under DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. Guggenheim admitted in his blog post that friends had told him Hollywood would come calling after he pulled off The CW’s ambitious “Crisis On Infinite Earths” storyline. That crossover event, which aired in December 2019 and January 2020, brought together six different superhero series for a story that ran through five hours of television. It was no easy feat, and Guggenheim said he even put up thousands of dollars of his own money to pull it off.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Shea Whigham has been cast in a recurring guest star role in the “Bass Reeves” series currently in production for Paramount+, Variety has learned. David Oyelowo stars in the series based on the life of the titular legendary law man. The series also stars Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, Grantham Coleman, and Demi Singleton. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery, which is struggling with billions of dollars in debt, is willing to pay more money to executives who might be able to help reduce it. The owner of HBO, Discovery Channel and Food Network said Monday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it would pay out new rewards to CEO David Zaslav, six senior staffers and an unspecified group of others if they could meet certain goals of new generation of free cash flow. “The changes to the Warner Bros. Discovery executive compensation program are designed to further incentivize Company employees, including members of its leadership team and others whose efforts are critical to achieving the key near-term financial objectives of increased free cash flow and reduced leverage,” said WBD board chairman Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr. in a prepared statement.“The WBD board is confident that these additional incentives offer a more competitive package against the backdrop of ongoing industry-wide transformation and economic headwinds, and better position the company to advance core drivers of shareholder value.”

Warner Bros. Discovery has tweaked its CEO’s employment contract, granting a bigger pot of restricted stock units but linking them to free cash flow targets.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After better-than-expected starts at the domestic and international box office, “Creed III” has already surpassed the $100 million mark globally. Directed by Michael B. Jordan in his feature filmmaking debut, the latest “Creed” movie has collected $58.7 million in North America and $41.8 million overseas to land the biggest opening worldwide in the trilogy. The $75 million-budgeted “Creed III” is the most expensive film in the trilogy (its predecessors cost $35 million and $50 million, respectively), but it already appears to be well-positioned in its theatrical run.