‘We Baby Bears’ Picked Up for Season 2 on HBO Max and Cartoon Network (EXCLUSIVE)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued a chilling warning that any impending world war 'will become nuclear'.

K.J. Yossman The sequel to Jason Statham-fronted shark thriller “The Meg” has begun shooting in the U.K., Variety can confirm.Production on “Meg 2: The Trench” has kicked off with a splash at Warner Bros.-owned Leavesden Studios outside London, where the Harry Potter and Batman franchises were also shot.The film, about a murderous 80-foot prehistoric shark, is directed by “Rebecca” helmer Ben Wheatley, who takes the reins from Jon Turteltaub.

EXCLUSIVE: John Hesling, President of Maverick TV USA, is stepping down after four years at the Chrisley Knows Best producer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNow in the home stretch of unloading WarnerMedia, AT&T chief John Stankey appears to be primarily interested in not destroying any more value for shareholders than the telco giant already has with its ill-fated M&A strategy.This week, AT&T announced that the WarnerMedia divestiture will be structured as a spinoff ahead of its combo with Discovery. That will give telco shareholders pro-rata shares in the newly created Warner Bros.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Janine Sherman Barrois remembers being one of the only Black people in the writers’ room — or on set — when she began in television more than 20 years ago. At the time, she was grateful to get a seat at the table, given how few opportunities there were for Black women in Hollywood.Fast-forward to 2022, and Sherman Barrois acknowledges there are more powerful Black women on camera and off (like her idols Shonda Rhimes and Oprah Winfrey).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large**********KEVIN BRAY Succession, “Retired Janitors of Idaho” (HBO)MARK MYLOD Succession, “All the Bells Say” (HBO)ANDRIJ PAREKH Succession, “What It Takes” (HBO)ROBERT PULCINI & SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN Succession, “Lion in the Meadow” (HBO)LORENE SCAFARIA Succession, “Too Much Birthday” (HBO)LUCIA ANIELLO Hacks, “There Is No Line” (HBO Max)MJ DELANEY Ted Lasso, “No Weddings and a Funeral” (Apple TV Plus)ERICA DUNTON Ted Lasso, “Rainbow” (Apple TV Plus)SAM JONES Ted Lasso, “Beard After Hours” (Apple TV Plus)MIKE WHITE The White Lotus, “Mysterious Monkeys” (HBO)BARRY JENKINS The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)BARRY LEVINSON Dopesick, “First Bottle” (Hulu)HIRO MURAI Station Eleven, “Wheel of Fire” (HBO Max)DANNY STRONG Dopesick, “The People vs. Purdue Pharma” (Hulu)CRAIG ZOBEL Mare of Easttown (HBO)Get the full list here.**********“Cobra Kai” (Netflix) – Seasons 3 and 4“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO) – Season 11“Hacks” (HBO Max) – Season 1“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) – Season 1“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus) – Season 2“Dopesick” (Hulu)“Mare of Easttown” (HBO)”The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)“WandaVision” (Disney Plus)“The White Lotus” (HBO)See the rest of the nominees here.**********Without fail, the Academy Awards always winds up as one of the top 10 most-watched telecasts of the year in primetime.

Angelique Jackson Oscar- and Emmy-nominee Taraji P. Henson will star as Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple.”The forthcoming Warner Bros. movie is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

HBO Max has lined up the second phase of its international launch, with 15 further European nations set to receive WarnerMedia’s streaming platform from March 8.

Joseph Morgan (The Originals) and Franka Potente (Taboo) have been cast as series regulars and Lisa Ambalavanar (Doctors) as a recurring for the upcoming fourth season of DC’s Titans on HBO Max.

Selome Hailu HBO Max announced that Joseph Morgan and Franka Potente have been cast as series regulars in Season 4 of “Titans.” Lisa Ambalavanar will play a recurring role.The series follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find where they belong. In the third season, circumstances drew the characters to Gotham City, where they reunited with old friends and faced new threats. Season 4 was first announced at DC FanDome on Oct.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterWarner Bros. and HBO Max has nabbed “Am I OK?,” a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson as a woman grappling with her sexuality.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeCBS will utilize this Sunday’s AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals to unveil a new fan-centric marketing campaign tied around the theme “Get Into Something Good.”And here’s the unique angle to the spots that viewers will see on Sunday: They don’t actually include clips from the shows. Instead, they focus on the superfans behind series like “Survivor,” the “FBI” franchise and freshman comedy sensation “Ghosts.”“We’re trying to really break some norms and look at things differently,” said CBS president and chief marketing officer Mike Benson.

The CW’s flagship DC series, The Flash, is headed to a ninth season. Star Grant Gustin is finalizing a new contract to return as the title character in the hit show, from Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, sources said.

Apple TV or buy the digital edition in 4K for $13. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya, this sci-fi spectacle is one you surely don’t want to miss. The film is also available as a physical copy on DVD and Blu-ray.Watch NowWhile director, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, is urging audiences to go experience the film in theaters, it will premiere on streaming simultaneously for viewers who wish to go on the epic cinematic journey through space from the comfort of their own living rooms. Warner Bros.

K.J. Yossman Elliott Hasler’s indie biopic “Vindication Swim” has added Douglas Hodge and James Wilby to the cast.Hodge recently appeared as Alfred Pennyworth in “Joker” opposite Joaquin Phoenix and has also had recurring roles in “The Great” and “Lost in Space.”Wilby played Lord Falmouth in BBC period drama “Poldark” and has appeared in “Gosford Park” and the television series “Victoria” alongside Jenna Coleman.“Vindication Swim” is based on the true story of Mercedes Gleitze, who became the first British woman to swim the English Channel in 1927.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWarnerMedia has made three more senior content hires in Asia to bolster its original productions teams in advance of the launch of HBO Max in the region.In the Singapore-based team, Mark Francis has been appointed group lead of production and development (scripted and unscripted) and Wee Shi Ming has been named lead of entertainment content acquisition for North Asia content. They both report into Magdalene Ew, WarnerMedia’s head of content – entertainment for Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.In Mumbai, Saugata Mukherjee joins WarnerMedia as head of content – entertainment, India.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorSusan Brandt has been promoted to CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the privately held company that manages the rich vault of books and IP associated with the beloved author.Brandt has been with the San Diego-based Seuss Enterprises for 24 years, most recently serving as president. 2021 marked Seuss Enterprises’ highest revenue-generating year since its founding in 1993.

Greg Russo will bring his knowledge of adapting video games for screen to Binge, which has tapped the Mortal Kombat scribe to write and direct its upcoming live-action System Shock series.

Despite only earning $84 million worldwide (in light of its HBO Max debut and the pandemic), it appears Warner Bros. is still excited about the “Mortal Kombat” franchise.

Sony Pictures has acquired global rights to Rosalind Ross’ feature directorial debut Father Stu, starring and produced by Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeReality producers have a new favorite network: ID, the true crime-centric channel formally known as Investigation Discovery. ID topped the list of networks that producers most like to work with, according to a new survey released Monday by NPACT — the trade association for non-fiction production companies doing business in the U.S.NPACT has resumed its annual survey of unscripted, documentary and reality series producers after last year’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.