Tyler Blackburn Says ‘Intense Mental Health Issues’ Led to Him Stepping Back From ‘Roswell, New Mexico’

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Neom, the Saudi Arabian region that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, has announced the opening of its Neom Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, comprising several sound stages and production support facilities. Situated along the kingdom’s Red Sea coast in Tabuk, in the northwest of the kingdom, Neom is a sprawling area roughly the size of Belgium. Besides coral reefs and heritage sites, it also comprises mountains and generally has a cooler temperature than most of the region. Aside from a futuristic megacity-in-the-making, the area now hosts what are being touted as the country’s largest sound stages.

Emily Longeretta Rodrigo Santoro will star opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in Paramount+’s upcoming original series “Wolf Pack,” Variety can exclusively announce. The series is currently in production in Atlanta, Georgia, and is set to premiere later this year. Previously announced cast members include Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson and Tyler Lawrence Gray. Joe Genier, Mike Elliott and Karen Gorodetzky serve as executive producers for Capital Arts, while Gellar, Jason Ensler and Christian Taylor serve also executive produce. Based on Edo Van Belkom’s book series and created by Jeff Davis, the show follows two teens whose lives are changed when a California wildfire awakens a supernatural creature.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Sony Pictures Classics has landed worldwide rights to “It Ain’t Over,” a documentary about baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Sean Mullin directed the doc, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The specialty studio has yet to detail any release plans for the movie. Described as “an intimate portrait of a misunderstood American icon, “It Ain’t Over” illustrates the life and career of Berra, a sports legend whose accomplishments on the baseball diamond were often overshadowed by his off-the-field persona. Berra, considered one of the best catchers in baseball history, won 10 World Series championships during his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, 18 of which were with the New York Yankees. He also became known for Yogi-isms, like “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

Angelique Jackson Amazon Studios and Macro Film Studios have partnered for a new endeavor — a multiyear first-look film deal. Under the new pact, Amazon Studios will have first rights to feature film projects Macro will develop, package and produce for Prime Video, which is available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. News of the partnership was announced by Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, as well as Macro founder and CEO Charles D. King and Macro Film Studios president James F. Lopez. “With our ongoing goal to share MACRO Film Studios’ premium and acclaimed content to a global audience, there really is no better partner than Amazon Studios,” said King and Lopez in a joint statement. “Their reach extends to a national and international core and they are known the world over for a business acumen and long-horizon strategic thinking that is simply unmatched. We believe we will do great things together.”

Brent Lang Executive Editor By slashing prices, Mitch Lowe transformed MoviePass into a supernova.   The ticketing service, which had ambitions to become the Netflix of moviegoing, had languished for years until Lowe took the reins in 2017 as Helios and Matheson, an analytics firm, purchased a controlling stake. At the same time, Lowe announced that for a monthly fee of $9.95, users could now watch a movie-a-day in cinemas — less than the cost of a single ticket in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. It was an offer that was too good to refuse, pushing MoviePass to 2 million customers in roughly six months. But it was also a risky proposition, one that caused the company to burn through tens of millions of dollars and collapse in spectacular fashion just two years later.  

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. A new Bo Burnham-directed comedy special is hitting Hulu this Thursday, adding to the streamer’s small but mighty library of stand-up specials. “Kate Berlant: Cinnamon in the Wind” is the New York comedian’s second solo show directed by Bo Burnham for FX, and if it’s even close to as experimental and controversial as Berlant’s first outing, it will generate a lot of conversation. The special, which was filmed in 2019 before she began her off-Broadway show “Kate,” finally premieres on Hulu on Sept. 15, two years after it was recorded . Jerrod Carmichael and Chris Storer (“The Bear”) serve as executive producers on “Cinnamon in the Wind,” which features the “League of Their Own” star performing in an “absurdist set, in an intimate space, shared not only with the audience but the mirror reflection of herself,” according to FX. She plans to warp “audience expectations of her comedy, while also exploring her clairvoyant connection to the crowd and her inability to stop performing.”

JoJo Siwa seemingly shared some very happy relationship news!

Manori Ravindran International Editor The director of “The People’s Joker,” a queer coming-of-age movie set in the Batman universe, has pulled the movie from the Toronto International Film Festival over alleged “rights issues.” Helmed by Los Angeles-based director Vera Drew, the mixed-media movie follows an aspiring clown (played by Drew) struggling with her gender identity while dreaming of being cast in a TV sketch show among a cast of Jokers and Harlequins. An official synopsis from TIFF reads: “With comedy criminalized in Gotham City, the show is the only government-sanctioned space for funny people, but only those who will toe the party line. Disillusioned by a botched audition, Vera partners with a birdlike slacker to found their own alternative comedy troupe, attracting not only a rogues’ gallery of would-be comics, but also the ire of a fascistic caped crusader.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Toby Kebbell has joined Season 4 of “For All Mankind” at Apple, Variety has learned exclusively. The alternative history series was renewed for its fourth season in July. Production on the new season is currently underway. The series takes place in a world in which the USSR beat the US to the moon, leading to the continuation of the space race. In Season 3, Mars becomes the new frontier for not only NASA and the Soviets, but also private business interests. Kebbell joins the series as Miles, described as “a former offshore oil platform worker who pursues a new job opportunity on Mars.”

K.J. Yossman Jáde Osiberu, creator of upcoming Amazon Original movie “Gangs of Lagos,” has inked an overall deal with the streamer. The three-year deal will include original scripted dramas and features from Osiberu’s production company Greoh Studios. Osiberu, who is the creator of hit projects including “Sugar Rush,” “Isoken” and “Gidi Up,” follows others creators including Steve McQueen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Jenny Han in signing similar international agreements. “I am overjoyed with this collaboration and already feel like I’m part of the Prime Video and Amazon Studios family,” said Osiberu. “It will be an absolute pleasure to introduce Prime Video audiences to the most exciting talent and storylines Nigeria has to offer, and I’m looking forward to continuing to help elevate Nigerian stories on a global scale.”

Ethan Shanfeld BravoCon is back. The fan experience, taking place Oct. 14-16 at the Javits Center in New York City, is returning for the first time since its inaugural edition in 2019. With over 140 “Bravolebrities” set to participate in over 60 live events, BravoCon will shine a spotlight on the network’s top series. The casts from multiple cities in “The Real Housewives” franchise will turn out en masse — with a notable absence of Lisa Rinna from the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” panel. Rinna, who’s had a difficult time on the current 12th season of “Beverly Hills” — both on screen, as she’s mourned the death of her mother, and on social media as the season has aired — participated in BravoCon in 2019, but as of yet won’t return this year. Nor will “Beverly Hills” cast member Diana Jenkins be on the panel, which includes Garcelle Beauvais, Erika Jayne, Dorit Kemsley, Crystal Minkoff, Kyle Richards, Sutton Stracke and Kathy Hilton, who is Richards’ sister, and in her second season as a “friend” on the show. (A representative for Rinna had no comment.)

executing a search warrant seized the cell phone of Mike Lindell, a democracy-denying ultra MAGA activist who had Oval Office access to Donald Trump when he was president, promotes wild conspiracy theories, and is now bankrolling a far-right extremist described as a “fascist,” a “white supremacist,” and “one of the internet’s most rabid white Christian nationalists.”“We are the Christian Taliban and we will not stop until The Handmaid’s Tale is a reality, and even worse than that,” says Vincent James, who Lindell is financially supporting according to Right Wing Watch and Vice News.Lindell, of course, is known to millions as the “My Pillow guy,” the founder of the massively successful shredded foam manufacturer who is now using his vast wealth to promote his claims of massive election fraud, claims that have led some television stations, he says, to ban him from appearing in his own commercials.READ MORE: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Launches Paranoid Rant: ‘Had to Get on My Knees and Pray to God’ US Gov’t. Didn’t Kill HimLindell told supporters about the FBI executing a search warrant while he was at a Hardee’s drive-thru in his Mankato, Minnesota hometown, on his streaming show, the Lindell Report.“Cars pulled up in front of us, to the side of us, and behind us and I said those are either bad guys or the FBI,” Lindell said, The Guardian reports.

Microsoft has confirmed that it has “no plans” to bring online multiplayer to GoldenEye 007 on Xbox, although the feature has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch versions.Yesterday (September 13), Rare and Nintendo announced the return of GoldenEye 007, a fan-favourite shooter from the Nintendo 64 that will be making its way to Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles.While Nintendo has advertised the port as having online play, allowing players to compete with their friends over the internet, the same feature will not be available on Xbox versions.In a statement, Microsoft confirmed that online play will not be a part of GoldenEye 007 on Xbox.“Xbox is excited to bring GoldenEye 007 to Xbox Game Pass for the very first time – a faithful recreation of a much-loved and iconic title,” reads the statement. “While there are no plans to include online multiplayer as part of GoldenEye 007 on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox is focused on bringing this title to players in the way they fondly remember, including local multiplayer mode, allowing up to four players to take to the couch in a battle of wits and skill.”Elsewhere, Rare has confirmed that the Xbox version will include “achievements, 4K resolution and a smoother framerate – even in split-screen local multiplayer!”More Nintendo 64 games are on the way!Pokémon Stadium, Mario Party, Pilotwings 64, 1080° Snowboarding, Excitebike 64, & more will be gradually added to the Nintendo 64 library on #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has questioned whether Avanti West Coast is equipped to deliver services to people wishing to pay their respects to the Queen. His latest attack comes less than two weeks after he said the company was in "the last chance saloon".

BBC news reader Rachel Burden received a parking note that she jokes 'covers all the bases'.

Nintendo has confirmed that cloud versions of multiple Resident Evil titles will be coming to the Switch later this year.2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake will be available, allowing players to join Leon on his first day as a Racoon City police officer, alongside the 2020 Resident Evil 3 remake.2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which swapped Resident Evil’s usual over-the-shoulder perspective for a more intense first-person view, is also coming to Nintendo Switch.It comes as back in June, all three titles were made available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.A firm release date has yet to be confirmed, though Nintendo says all three will be released “this year”.Capcom also confirmed that Resident Evil Village will launch on Nintendo Switch on October 28, while the accompanying Winters Expansion DLC will be available on December 2.

Stacey Dooley has given a new glimpse of her growing baby bump as her fans begin to speculate the baby's gender. The Strictly Come Dancing star announced in August that she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Kevin Clifton.

Monday night's new episode of The CW's Roswell, New Mexico featured the return of Tyler Blackburn's character Alex Manes, with the actor explaining the character's absence.The 35-year-old actor hadn't appeared on the show since mid-June and only appeared in that episode and the Season 4 premiere.After the episode aired, Blackburn took to Twitter to explain that 'intense mental health issues' caused him to miss many Roswell, New Mexico episodes in both Season 3 and Season 4.   Explain: Monday night's new episode of The CW's Roswell, New Mexico featured the return of Tyler Blackburn's character Alex Manes, with the actor explaining the character's absence Explain: After the episode aired, Blackburn took to Twitter to explain that 'intense mental health issues' caused him to miss many Roswell, New Mexico episodes in both Season 3 and Season 4'Alex is alive! Thank you to my knight in shining armor @MichaelVlamis and the incomparable @HeatherHemmens for her insane creativity, professionalism and patience,' Blackburn began. 'Also, thank you to the @RoswellNMRoom and the entire crew of @CWRoswellNMfor helping me this season…' he added in his first of three tweets.

Tyler Blackburn was missing from many of the episodes in Roswell, New Mexico season four and now he’s explaining why he wasn’t featured.