BY Laura Berger
Nisha Ganatra Signs Overall Deal with ABC Studios & Launches Ladies’ Car Productions
Nisha Ganatra has inked an overall two-year deal with ABC Studios, Deadline reports. The pact sees the “Late Night” helmer writing, directing, and developing projects across all platforms...
Lulu Wang Boards Nicole Kidman Amazon Series “The Expatriates”
Lulu Wang’s saying farewell to her breakout year and hello to 2020 with a new project. The “Farewell” writer-director will follow up the Golden Globe-nominated film by making her...
Fortune Feimster Comedy Special in the Works at Netflix
Fortune Feimster is taking center stage. Best known for her supporting roles on the small screen in “The Mindy Project,” “Life in Pieces,” and “Champions” and on...
Mo’Nique Will Hunt Down Racist Killers in “Mother Trucker”
Mo’Nique is on the war path. The actress and stand-up comedian is set to star in indie pic “Mother Trucker,” Variety confirms. The action-adventure sees her embarking on a cross-country...
Trailer Watch: Ann Dowd Loses David Bowie and Her Boyfriend in “Speed of Life”
“I think when David Bowie died, the universe broke,” says Ann Dowd in a new trailer for “Speed of Light.” Named for Bowie’s 1977 song, Liz Manashil’s dramedy sees...
Chrissy Metz Is Bringing “Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds” Adaptation to Amazon
Chrissy Metz is eyeing the top of Africa’s highest mountain. The “This Is Us” breakout is set to produce — and possibly star — in a film adaptation of Kara Richardson...
THR Announces 2019 Women in Entertainment Power 100 List
The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled its 2019 Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. The list, THR explains, celebrates “the female players pulling in box office billions, running the streamers,...
Trailer Watch: Carey Mulligan Seeks Revenge in “Promising Young Woman”
A new trailer for “Promising Young Woman” kicks off with a disturbing image — Carey Mulligan struggling to maintain consciousness at a bar while a nearby man weighs in on how...
National Film Registry Adds Record Number of Women-Directed Films This Year
“Boys Don’t Cry” and “A New Leaf” are among the films being added to the National Film Registry this year. The Library of Congress announced its annual selection of 25...
Exclusive: Athena Film Festival Announces Inaugural Breakthrough Award
The Athena Film Festival (AFF) is furthering its mission to empower and support women filmmakers. The fest has announced the inaugural Athena Breakthrough Award, which will recognize a first- or...
Patty Jenkins and Ava DuVernay Funko Pop Figurines Are on the Way
Yesterday’s Golden Globe nominations left us — and many, many others — disappointed by the lack of recognition for women directors. That same day, Funko, the company behind Funko...
Lily James to Topline Emily Mortimer’s Adaptation of “The Pursuit of Love” for BBC One
Lily James and Emily Mortimer are teaming up to bring “The Pursuit of Love” to the small screen. The former will star in the latter’s adaptation of Nancy Miford’s 1945 novel...
Isabel Coixet’s “Foodie Love” to Open International TV Fest Are You Series?
Isabel Coixet’s debut TV series, “Foodie Love,” is set to kick off the seventh edition of Are You Series?, an international TV series fest in Belgium. The HBO Europe title tells the...
Sally Potter to Be Celebrated with Top Honor at London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
Sally Potter is set to receive the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film at the 40th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, Deadline reports. The writer-director follows in the footsteps of Judi...
Trailer Watch: Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins Return in “Wonder Woman 1984”
“My life hasn’t been what you probably think it has. We all have our struggles,” says Gal Gadot in the first trailer for “Wonder Woman 1984.” As its titles suggests, the...
An Episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” Helped Raise Awareness of Sexual Assault, Study Finds
Shonda Rhimes’ TV empire — which includes “Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Scandal,” and a number of other beloved series...
Paula Yoo Has a K-Pop-Themed Drama in the Works at NBCUniversal’s Peacock
Another K-Pop-inspired project is in the works. Just weeks ago word came that Lionsgate had acquired rights to Rebel Wilson’s script for “Seoul Girls,” a comedy feature that sees a Korean...
Elle Fanning & Dakota Fanning Will Play Sisters in Mélanie Laurent’s Adaptation of “The Nightingale”
Elle Fanning is re-teaming with her “Galveston” director, and this time she’ll be joined by her sister, Dakota Fanning. The pair are signed on to topline Mélanie Laurent’s...
Trailer Watch: Julia Garner Serves as “The Assistant” to a Harvey Weinstein-Esque Boss
A trailer has dropped for “The Assistant,” Kitty Green’s Harvey Weinstein-inspired thriller. Julia Garner stars as Jane, a new college grad who gets a coveted position as junior...
Trailer Watch: Aidy Bryant Takes a Chance on Herself in “Shrill” Season 2
Aidy Bryant is “shaking [her] shit up a little” in a new teaser for “Shrill’s” second season. The Hulu comedy’s debut season saw Annie (Bryant), an aspiring...
Trailer Watch: “Mulan” Promises to “Bring Honor to Us All”
“Loyal, brave, and true — it is my duty to protect my family,” explains Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu) in a new trailer for Disney’s live-action “Mulan.” China is under...
AFI Awards: “Little Women,” “The Farewell,” “When They See Us,” & More
“Little Women” and “The Farewell” are showing no signs of slowing down this awards season. The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced the recipients of the 2019 AFI...
Trailer Watch: Numa Perrier Explores Life as a Cam Girl in “Jezebel”
A trailer has dropped for Numa Perrier’s feature debut. Based on the writer-director’s own experiences, “Jezebel” sees Tiffany (Tiffany Tenille), a cash-strapped 19-year-old,...
New York Film Critics Circle Winners: “Atlantics,” “Honeyland,” & More
The members of the New York Film Critics Circle have cast their votes for the best films of 2019, and the results are in. Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” has been named as Best First Film....
Helen Mirren to Be Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin Film Festival is set to celebrate Helen Mirren. The Oscar winner will be honored with a Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the fest’s 2020 edition. The Berlinale will also pay...
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Tops Radio Times TV 100 List
Phoebe Waller-Bridge catapulted to international stardom this year, and the folks back home have taken notice. Britain’s Radio Times polled television execs and broadcasting veterans to...
Mary J. Blige Doc in the Works at Amazon
Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth is directing a documentary about the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. The untitled Amazon Studios project is currently in development, a press release...
Trailer Watch: Lena Waithe Tells the Story of an Aspiring TV Writer in BET’s “Twenties”
Hattie (Jonica “JoJo” T. Gibbs, “Good Trouble”) is on her way to her destiny — but there are plenty of obstacles along the way. Recently evicted and desperate to avoid a...
Ali Wong Has Two Netflix Stand-Up Specials on the Way
Ali Wong is in serious demand. The stand-up comedian and “Always Be My Maybe” star and co-writer has inked “a rich deal” with Netflix to do two new stand-up specials for the...
Gotham Award Winners: Awkwafina, “American Factory,” & More
Awkwafina’s awards season is getting off to a solid start. She took home the Best Actress Award at the 29th Annual IFP Gotham Awards at a ceremony held Monday in New York City for her role in...
Teaser Watch: Scarlett Johansson Stops Running From Her Past in Cate Shortland’s “Black Widow”
“I used to have nothing, and then I got this job — this family. But nothing lasts forever,” says Scarlett Johansson in a new teaser for Cate Shortland’s “Black...
Trailer Watch: Something Is Coming for Jodie Whittaker in “Doctor Who” Series 12
A new trailer for “Doctor Who’s” 12th series sees the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) facing a “big, serious crisis” — but she hasn’t lost her sense of humor,...
Trailer Watch: Family Drama Unfolds in “Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story”
“Why do I have to compete with a kidnapper for your love?” a mother asks her newly reunited daughter in a trailer for “Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.” Based on...
Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir” Tops Sight & Sound’s 2019 Best of List
One hundred critics, programmers, and academics from around the world weighed in on the best film of 2019 for Sight & Sound, the BFI’s International Magazine. The top 50 films have been...
“For Sama” Dominates British Independent Film Awards
“For Sama” has been collecting accolades across the globe since its world premiere this March at SXSW, where it took home the Audience Award for a Documentary Feature and SXSW Grand Jury...
Jenny Carchman to Direct Docuseries About “Queen of Gossip” Cindy Adams for Showtime
Kristen Bell isn’t the only Gossip Girl in New York City. A docuseries about New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams is in the works at CBS’ Showtime Networks, Deadline reports. Set to...
Elizabeth Banks to Topline and Direct “The Invisible Woman” for Universal
Elizabeth Banks is switching gears from action to horror. The “Charlie’s Angels” director and star is attached to topline and helm “The Invisible Woman” for Universal,...
Trailer Watch: Sisters Long to Be Reunited in Brazil’s Oscar Submission “Invisible Life”
“Please, never forget me,” a woman begs of her sister in a new trailer for “Invisible Life.” Brazil’s submission to the 2020 Oscars’ Best International Film...
Andrea Riseborough to Topline Stacey Gregg’s Feature Debut “Here Before”
Andrea Riseborough is set to star in another woman-directed psychological thriller. She’s following up Christina Choe’s “Nancy” with Stacey Gregg’s feature directorial...
BET+ Renews “First Wives Club” for Season 2
Ari, Bree, and Hazel’s new lives are just getting started. BET+, BET Networks’ SVOD service, has renewed “First Wives Club” for a second season. Deadline confirmed the news....
Stacey Abrams to Exec Produce CBS Series Based on Her Novel “Never Tell”
Stacey Abrams has a new series in the works at CBS. The network has put “Never Tell,” a drama based on Abrams’ book of the same name, in development. The project hails from Abrams,...
Trailer Watch: Michelle Wolf Drops Truth Bombs About the Animal Kingdom in Her New Netflix Special
A trailer has dropped for Michelle Wolf’s upcoming standup special, “Joke Show.” In it, the “Daily Show” alumna shares a story about seeing otters and documenting the...
Quote of the Day: “Harriet” Producer Debra Martin Chase on Telling Stories That Entertain & Inspire
“Harriet” producer Debra Martin Chase is speaking out about the power and responsibilities that come along with being a producer in Hollywood. “First and foremost, you have to...
Trailer Watch: Mia Wasikowska Wants Revenge in “Judy & Punch”
Mia Wasikowska wakes up bloodied and beaten in a new trailer for “Judy & Punch.” “Do you remember what happened to you?” she’s asked. The only way she can respond is...
Jennifer Lopez to Be Honored with Spotlight Award at Palm Springs Film Festival
Jennifer Lopez is building momentum on the awards circuit. Less than a week ago the multi-hyphenate received an Indie Spirit Award nomination for “Hustlers,” and now the Palm Springs...
Lara Jean Gallagher’s “Clementine” Acquired by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Lara Jean Gallagher’s debut feature has found a home. Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged U.S. rights to “Clementine,” a press release announced. The drama debuted at the Tribeca Film...
Teaser Watch: Janelle Monáe Is Caught Between the Past and the Present in “Antebellum”
“911. What is your emergency?” A new teaser for “Antebellum” kicks off with a terrifying one-sided 911 call. The operator asks if anyone is with the caller and if they can get...
“Hala” Writer-Director Minhal Baig on Making a Culturally Specific Story with Universal Themes
Minhal Baig is a writer and director. In 2017, she was chosen as a directing mentee for Ryan Murphy’s Half Foundation Directing Mentorship. Currently, she is a story editor on Netflix’s “Bojack...
Susan Choi and Sarah M. Broom Score Top Honors at the National Book Awards
Top honors for the 2019 National Book Awards went to women. Susan Choi took home the fiction award and Sarah M. Broom the nonfiction award. The Los Angeles Times reported on the ceremony, held last...
Molly Smith Metzler Is Bringing “Maid” to Netflix, Margot Robbie Producing
A series based on Stephanie Land’s memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive” is in the works at Netflix, Variety reports. Molly Smith Metzler, best known for...
Charlize Theron to Receive Honor at Palm Springs Film Festival
Oscar nominations won’t be announced until January 13, but “Bombshell” favorite Charlize Theron has just been named as the recipient of the International Star Award, Actress at the...