News

We’re still a few months away from The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6.

But we’re getting a new glimpse of the dystopian drama’s final act thanks to some first-look photos and new 2025 sizzle reel footage from Hulu and Disney+.

The show is set to return in spring, though no specific release date has been announced.

(Hulu/Disney+ (YouTube screenshot))

Fortunately, if you’re a subscriber to the Disney+/Hulu bundle, you’ll have plenty of entertainment options in the year to come.

The sizzle reel also provides first looks at:

The Bear Season 4, Andor Season 2, Goosebumps Season 2, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians Season 2.

And there are plenty of new shows on the way, too!

We’ve got Alien: Earth from Fargo creator Noah Hawley and the football comedy Chad Powers starring Glen Powell.

There’s also the highly anticipated dramas Good American Family, starring Ellen Pompeo, and Paradise, featuring...

Hulu has released some of the first images of the sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which is slated to premiere this spring. We also catch a glimpse of the upcoming season in a sizzle reel unveiled today by Disney+/Hulu. See above and below.

Season 5 follows June (Elisabeth Moss) in the aftermath of Commander Waterford’s (Joseph Fiennes) murder and the consequences she must face for her role in the gruesome slaying. At a minimum, she will have to face off with his widow Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), and on some level Gilead. But mainly, she will be forced to redefine her identity and purpose, now forever changed.

Meanwhile, Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) works with Nick (Max Minghella) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. But who knows what the Commander and Nick—who helped June get her hands on...

The Iceman, a feature chronicling the true-life story of extreme athlete Wim Hof, has been put on hold following allegations of abuse made against Hof by his ex-partner.

Kevin Macdonald was set to direct and Joseph Fiennes to star in the project, which is produced by Genesius Pictures and sold internationally by Cornerstone.

A spokesperson for Genesius Pictures said: “Genesius Pictures can confirm that due to the severity of the allegations, this production, which was in development only and had not begun filming, is on hold.”

The project was first unveiled at the European Film Market in 2022 by Cornerstone. A...

A UK-produced biopic exploring the life of Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof has been put on hold following allegations of domestic abuse against the cold-water guru, which he has denied.

The film was originally announced in 2022 with Kevin Macdonald attached to direct and Joseph Fiennes signed to star as Hof.

The project reunited London-based production company Genesius Pictures and sales agent Cornerstone Films after their successful collaboration on Good Luck To You, Leo Grande.

The decision to halt the project follows a report in Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant over the weekend in which the athlete’s ex-partner said he had physically and verbally abused her, their son and her two children from a previous marriage over a 13-year period.

Hof has denied the report and since filed a complaint for alleged defamation and slander, but the production company appears to be waiting for the outcome of the case.

“Genesius Pictures...

Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock Holmes television series titled “Young Sherlock” has found its Mycroft Holmes. Max Irons will play the role of the elder Holmes brother in the Amazon Prime Video show. Mycroft is Sherlock’s sibling who has already established the Diogenes Club in London. Little is known about Irons’ portrayal of the character so far, but it suggests Mycroft will play an important part in the story.

The series will follow the renowned detective Sherlock Holmes during his university years at Oxford. Hero Fiennes Tiffin was previously cast as the young Sherlock Holmes. Now 19 years old, he becomes embroiled in a murder mystery that threatens his freedom. Uncovering a vast conspiracy in the process, Sherlock begins to hone the observational skills that made him famous.

Set against the backdrop of 19th century Oxford, “Young Sherlock” draws inspiration from a series of novels about the character’s early life.

Hello, brother: Max Irons (Condor) will play Mycroft Holmes in Prime Video’s Young Sherlock series starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the titular character, our sister site Deadline reports.

Adapted from Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes books and written by Matthew Parkhill (Deep State), the show reimagines the titular detective as a 19-year-old “disgraced” and “unfiltered” young man embroiled in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. He’ll delve into his first case with a lack of discipline and uncover a “globe-trotting conspiracy” that will change his life.

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Young Sherlock is filling out its cast!

Guy Ritchie‘s Prime Video series has cast the title character’s older brother, Deadline confirms.

Condor star Max Irons is set as a series regular, playing Mycroft Holmes alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock.

The actor was photographed on the set of the series, although his character had not been revealed until now.

Keep reading to find out more…

Inspired by Andy Lane’s book series, Young Sherlock is described as an “irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in a re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes (Fiennes Tiffin) is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.

Exclusive: Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series has cast the title character’s older brother. Max Irons (Condor) is set as a series regular on the Prime Video show, playing Mycroft Holmes opposite Hero Fiennes Tiffin’s Sherlock. Speculation about Irons’ casting started last month when he was snapped on the set of the series; his character had not been revealed until now.

Inspired by Andy Lane’s book series, Young Sherlock is described as an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in a re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes (Fiennes Tiffin) is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.

In addition to Fiennes Tiffin,...

At the peak of her career, Julia Roberts was known not only for her charismatic acting but also for her complicated relationships with industry figures. One of the most notable controversies occurred during the filming of Steven Spielberg’s 1991 film Hook, where tensions escalated between Roberts and the acclaimed director.

Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman | Credit: Touchstone Pictures

The conflict, however, was not the only such incident, as the actress also had a contentious relationship with Edward Zwick, the producer of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick has since reflected on their fallout, admitting that their professional disagreements led to a lasting estrangement.

Producer Revealed the Casting Drama of Shakespeare in Love

John Madden’s 1998 film Shakespeare in Love was a huge hit, earning $289 million at the box office and seven Oscars, including for Best Actress for Gwyneth Paltrow, who took on the role of Viola de Lesseps in the movie.

Gwyneth...

The Handmaid’s Tale is officially back in production on its sixth and final season.

Hulu revealed Friday that cameras began rolling on the series’ conclusion on September 3, sharing a photo of series star Elisabeth Moss holding the slate for the first scene of Episode 1, which she will also be directing.

Along with the production announcement, Hulu also said that Season 6 will debut in spring 2025.

The final chapter of the Emmy-winning Hulu series originally was to begin production in 2023 for a fall 2024 premiere, but that schedule, of course, was delayed by the strikes.

Season 5 follows June (Elisabeth Moss) in the aftermath of Commander Waterford’s (Joseph Fiennes) murder and the consequences she must face for her role in the gruesome slaying. At a minimum, she will have to face off with his widow Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), and on some level Gilead. But mainly, she will be forced to redefine her identity and purpose,...

James Graham, the creator of Sherwood, Dear England and Brexit: The Uncivil War, has urged the creation of “new universes” and greater risk taking in place of TV’s gatekeepers “falling back on tried and tested IP.”

Delivering this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggart lecture, the prolific British scribe argued passionately for greater working class representation in the TV industry, along with criticizing commissioners’ ongoing temptation to opt for “source material, adaptations and expanded universes.”

Graham used the annual Edinburgh platform to plead for “new universes, which means – taking risks.”

He added: “New stories have to be at the heart of commissioning – scripted, non-scripted, factual, fictional … even in the most difficult climate, where the temptation, and we’re witnessing it, is to fall back on tried and tested IP.”

The industry should see “risk” as a long-term “vital” investment in the future health of the sector, Graham said, coming...

Harvey Weinstein employed an aggressive marketing campaign to overthrow one deserving film from the Oscar race in 1999. Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was released in July 1998 and was one of the best films of the year. However, Miramax’s relatively unpopular film, Shakespeare in Love, went on to win the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture.

Harvey Weinstein produced Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture at the 1999 Oscars | Credits: Miramax Films

The film’s Oscar win is largely controversial and can be attributed to Weinstein’s politicking at the time. Weinstein even kickstarted a negative whisper campaign against Saving Private Ryan, spreading the perception that the Spielberg war drama was all in the opening minutes.

Harvey Weinstein Employed a Smear Campaign Tactic Against Steven Spielberg’s War Film Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan | Credits: Paramount Pictures

John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love is not a terrible film by any means,...

Snowpiercer is a post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller film created by Josh Friedman and Graeme Manson. Based on a 2013 film of the same name by director Bong Joon-ho, the TNT and now AMC series is set in a frozen wasteland of a world with the only survivors living on a perpetually moving train, where class warfare runs rampant and the politics of survival is deadly to learn. Snowpiercer stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs in the lead roles with Rowan Blanchard, Sean Bean, Alison Wright, Annalise Basso, Mickey Sumner, Lena Hall, and Susan Park starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the post-apocalypse, intense drama, and complex characters in Snowpiercer here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The 100 (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW

The 100 is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action drama series created by Jason Rothenberg. Based on a series of young adult sci-fi novels by author Kass Morgan,...

Lisa Westcott, the British makeup artist who won an Oscar for her work on 2012’s Les Misérables, has died, her husband told The Hollywood Reporter. She was 76.

Westcott died July 30 at her home in Oxford with her husband, Jeremy Ancock, and her twin children, George Ancock and Harriette Rothwell, with her. She was a staunch advocate for crew workers’ rights and fought fiercely for them to be upheld over the years, her family said.

She shared the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling with Julie Dartnell for their efforts on the musical’s film adaptation that starred Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway.

The pair were photographed accepting the prestigious prize from Jennifer Aniston and Channing Tatum 11 years ago, beaming as they posed for photos afterward.

Westcott also earned two consecutive Oscar nominations for Mrs Brown (1997), starring Judi Dench, Billy Connolly and Gerard Butler, and Shakespeare in Love (1998), with Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes,...

Amazon Prime Video’s “Young Sherlock” series has added Dónal Finn to its cast, Variety has learned exclusively.

Inspired by Andy Lane’s “Young Sherlock Holmes” novels, Finn has been cast in the role of James Moriarty, the notorious archnemesis of Sherlock Holmes. As previously announced, Holmes will be played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin.

The official description for “Young Sherlock” states, “At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.”

The cast of the series also includes Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, Colin Firth, and Zine Tseng

This will mark Finn’s second Amazon series. He also appears in the high fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” in the role of Mat Cauthon,...

It's a rare triumph for an actor to win a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's an extremely rare triumph for them to land multiple roles.

Adrian Pasdar is one of the lucky few. Not only did the American actor spend four seasons as Glenn Talbot in the popular television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he also voices the part of Tony Stark in multiple Marvel animated series.

As if that wasn't enough, Pasdar also provided the voice for Hawkeye in The Super Hero Squad Show And Captain America in the Black Panther animated series.

Maybe Marvel's phone broke and they could only call one actor for a while?

What's He Doing Now?

Since moving on from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pasdar has continued to book consistent voice work and television shows. Over the past two years he's added podcasting to his repertoire, with roles in the fully-scripted kids'-story podcast The...

Colin Firth is the latest name to jump on board the cast of Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock’ series for Amazon.

Firth joins Hero Fiennes Tiffin who is set to play the lead in the eight-episode series. Also on the cast are Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, and Zine Tseng. Firth is set to play the character of Sir Bucephalus Hodge, those character details are currently under wraps.

The series is officially described as an “action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.”

Also in news – Timothée Chalamet set...

Für Prime Video wird Guy Ritchie eine Serie über den jungen Sherlock Holmes inszenieren. Aktuell ist Colin Firth zum Cast gestoßen.

Colin Firth übernimmt eine Rolle in der Prime-Video-Serie „Young Sherlock“ (Credit: Imago / Future Image)

Colin Firth übernimmt eine Rolle in der Serie “Young Sherlock“, die Guy Ritchie für Prime Video inszenieren wird. Wie das US-Branchenblat „Variety“ berichtet, wird Firth’ in der auf Andy Lanes „Young Sherlock Holmes“-Romanen basierender Serie Sir Bucephalus Hodge spielen; weitere Details zu der Rolle sind nicht bekannt.

Die Hauptrolle des jungen Meisterdetektivs übernimmt Hero Fiennes Tiffin, in weiteren Rollen werden u.a. Joseph Fiennes, der Onkel des Hauptdarstellers, Natascha McElhone und Zine Tseng übernehmen.

Als Drehbuchautor und Showrunner fungiert Matthew Parkhill als Executive Producer sind neben Guy Ritchie Simon Kelton, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Maxwell, Dhana Gilbert, Colin Wilson, Marc Resteghini und Harriet Creelman mit an Bord.

Ein Zeitplan für „Young Sherlock“ ist nicht bekannt.

Prime Video’s Young Sherlock series is bolstering its ensemble with a Hollywood heavyweight.

Colin Firth will play Sir Bucephalus Hodge in the upcoming series from veteran director Guy Ritchie, our sister site Deadline reports. Additional character details have not yet been revealed.

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Adapted from Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes books and written...

Guy Ritchie is assembling quite the cast for his upcoming Young Sherlock series, with Colin Firth announced today as the latest addition.

Inspired by Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes novels, the Prime Video series will be “an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.“

Hero Fiennes Tiffin will star as the young detective, alongside Joseph Fiennes and Natasha McElhone as Sherlock’s parents and Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an. Colin Firth will play Sir Bucephalus Hodge in Young Sherlock.

Related Awesome Artists We...

Prime Video’s Young Sherlock series is adding another big name to its cast.

Colin Firth has joined the Guy Ritchie-directed show, which is inspired by author Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes novel series. Firth joins a cast that also includes Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the title role, Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone as Sherlock’s parents and Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an.

Firth will play a character named Sir Bucephalus Hodge; details on the role are being kept quiet for now.

Young Sherlock is described as a reimagining of the iconic detective, in the spirit of Ritchie’s two Sherlock Holmes feature films. The series follows Sherlock as a 19-year-old who is “disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline,...

Colin Firth is the latest addition to the cast of Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming series “Young Sherlock,” Variety has learned.

The series is inspired by Andy Lane’s “Young Sherlock Holmes” novels and was ordered to series in May with Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the lead role. Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone, and Zine Tseng also star. Firth will play Sir Bucephalus Hodge, with further character details currently under wraps.

Firth is primarily known for his film roles, including his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning turn in the 2010 film “The King’s Speech,” in which he played King George VI. He has also starred in films like “A Single Man,” “The English Patient,” the “Bridget Jones” films,” the “Kingsman” films, the “Mamma Mia” films, and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” In television, he had his breakout role playing Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.” He recently starred in the Max limited series “The Staircase.

Zine Tseng is the latest addition to the cast of the “Young Sherlock” series at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned.

She will star alongside series lead Hero Fiennes Tiffin as well as recently announced cast members Joseph Fiennes and Natasha McElhone.

The show is inspired by Andy Lane’s “Young Sherlock Holmes” novels. The official description for the series states, “At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.”

Zine has been cast as Princess Gulun Shou’an, described as a “Chinese Princess, Oxford University Scholar and skilled martial-artist.”

Zine recently starred in the big budget Netflix series “3 Body Problem” from David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo,...

3 Body Problem breakout Zine Tseng has been tapped as a lead opposite Hero Fiennes Tiffin in Young Sherlock, Prime Video’s series from Guy Ritchie, which tells the origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective.

Written and executive produced by showrunner Matthew Parkhill inspired by Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes book series, the show re-imagines Sherlock Holmes at age 19. Disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock (Fiennes Tiffin) manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.

Tseng will play Princess Gulun Shou’an — Chinese Princess, Oxford University Scholar and skilled martial-artist. In addition to Fiennes Tiffin, Tseng joins previously cast Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone as Sherlock’s parents.

Ritchie will be directing and executive producing.

Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone have been cast as the parents of a young Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming eight part Prime Video series adaptation by Guy Ritchie. Fiennes, known for his role in The Handmaid’s Tale, will portray Silas, Sherlock’s father, while McElhone, recognised for her performances in Halo and Designated Survivor, will play […]

Joseph Fiennes & Natascha McElhone to Play Young Sherlock’s Parents in Prime Video Series...

Meet the pair who raised Young Sherlock: Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Natascha McElhone (Halo, Designated Survivor) will play the titular character’s father and mother, Silas and Cordelia, in Guy Ritchie’s Prime Video series adaptation, our sister site Deadline reports.

Starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin (who is Fiennes’ real-life nephew), Young Sherlock centers around “the 19-year-old, disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed genius, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University that threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever,...

Guy Ritchie‘s Young Sherlock series adds more players to the television project, focusing on the early days of Arthus Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, with Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone. The duo joins the series as Sherlock’s parents. Fiennes plays Sherlock’s father, Silas, while Elhone plays the protagonist’s mother, Cordelia. Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the young Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock’s father is a scientist, explorer, and self-made businessman. His mother is an artist and the matriarch of the Holmes family unit. Ritchie’s Young Sherlock takes inspiration from Andy Lane’s novels. Prime Video’s eight-episode series follows a nineteen-year-old Sherlock, known as a disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed genius. When he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University that threatens his freedom, Sherlock feels compelled to solve the case. Young Sherlock joins the investigator when he’s at his most undisciplined.

Joseph Fiennes and Natascha McElhone have joined the cast of Amazon Prime Video’s “Young Sherlock” as series regulars.

Fiennes — the uncle of Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who plays Sherlock Holmes — has been cast as Silas Holmes, Sherlock’s father, who is described as a “scientist, explorer and self-made businessman.”

McElhone will play Cordelia Holmes, described as “Sherlock’s devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan.”

Fiennes is best known for playing William Shakespeare in 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” and Commander Fred Waterford in the first four seasons of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” His other prominent credits include starring in “The Mother” opposite Jennifer Lopez, the Cate Blanchett-led biopic “Elizabeth” and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Enemy at the Gates.” Most recently, he led the James Graham play “Dear England.” Fiennes is repped by the Artists Partnership and WME.

McElhone is best known for playing Karen Van Der Beek...

Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series has cast the boy genius’s parents.

Sherlock’s dad Silas will be played by Joseph Fiennes, while Natascha McElhone is Sherlock’s mum Cordelia. Fiennes, who we revealed earlier today is starring in the BBC’s drama about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins his real-life nephew Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who is playing the protagonist.

Sherlock’s father is a scientist, explorer and self-made businessman, while his mum is described as a devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan.

Inspired by Andy Lane’s critically acclaimed book series, Prime Video’s show follows the 19-year-old, disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed genius, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University that threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever. Ritchie is...

Exclusive: Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes are the actors who have been secretly portraying Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian charity worker falsely accused of spying and detained in Iran for six years, and her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who campaigned tirelessly for her release, in a TV drama, Deadline can reveal.

Earlier this month, my Deadline colleagues Jake Kanter and Max Goldbart broke the news that the BBC had commissioned the factual drama based on the chilling real-life story of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe.

The actors have been shooting the four-part BBC factual drama under wraps for the past three weeks on locations in the UK and Europe.

Because of the story’s sensitivity, BAFTA-winning director Philippa Lowthorpe has been filming against a backdrop of strict secrecy.

Lowthorpe’s production, made by Fremantle-backed Dancing Ledge Productions, has been adapted...

British playwright and dramatist James Graham will deliver the flagship address of this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture.

Graham’s work includes the BAFTA and Rts-winning Sherwood, starring David Morrissey and Lesley Manville, set against the backdrop of his hometown of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire which returns to BBC later this year, as well as The Way, a collaboration with Michael Sheen and Adam Curtis. The award-winner was also the mastermind behind the hugely popular Quiz starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sheen.

Recent stage work includes Olivier award-winning Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes which debuted at the National Theatre and transferred to the West End earlier this year and is currently being adapted into a TV series for BBC and his new musical Tammy Faye, written with Elton John and Jake Shears, which is soon to debut on Broadway.

Graham has also penned a range of political projects,...

Exclusive: James Graham sets a mental timer of strictly 45 minutes for a conversation that will encompass tonight’s gala opening at London’s National Theatre — en route to a run at the Garrick Theatre — of his sublime stage adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s landmark 1982 television drama Boys from the Blackstuff; followed by updates about the BBC TV version of his Olivier Award-winning soccer play Dear England, which will see him doing on-the-ground research at next month’s Euros in Germany; plus revelations about an epic new show he’s developing with House Productions that will explore the “mood sweeping across Europe.”

The 45-minute time-frame is kinda apt because each half of a soccer game is three-quarters of an hour.

So let’s kick off with the football, and I’ll fill you in on Boys from the Blackstuff farther down the column.

The playwright’s Dear England is ostensively about...

The upcoming episode of Fiennes: Return to the Wild, titled “Hell or High Water,” airs on National Geographic UK on Sunday, May 26, 2024. In the episode, celebrated actor Joseph Fiennes joins his cousin, renowned explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, as they embark on an adventurous journey through British Columbia, Canada. Together, they navigate challenging landscapes […]

Fiennes: Return to the Wild – Hell or High Water...

In the highly anticipated premiere of “Fiennes: Return to the Wild,” viewers are taken on a poignant journey with cousins Ranulph and Joseph Fiennes as they embark on a soul-stirring adventure. The episode titled “Hell or High Water” promises to be a rollercoaster of emotions as the Fiennes cousins travel together, delving into the depths of both the wilderness and their own familial bond.

At the heart of this compelling episode is Ranulph Fiennes’ battle with Parkinson’s disease, a central theme that adds a layer of vulnerability and authenticity to the show. As the cousins navigate the rugged terrain and face various challenges, viewers witness firsthand the impact of Ranulph’s condition on their shared experiences. Through candid reflections and heartfelt moments, the Fiennes cousins offer a raw and unfiltered look at the realities of living with Parkinson’s.

Set to air at 10:00 Pm on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, on National Geographic,...

Good afternoon Insiders, more news and analysis heading your way in the paragraphs below. Jesse Whittock at the helm today. Let’s go. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Keeping Faith In ‘The Traitors’

Staying faithful: Has there been another entertainment show with an impact nearing that of The Traitors in recent years? The reality whodunnit format has sold around the world after debuting in the Netherlands, becoming a smash on Peacock and the BBC in the UK. For my money, it’s the casting that’s marked it out from the crowd, and casting will be all-important to the upcoming British celebrity version. As Stewart and Max revealed yesterday, the BBC and Studio Lambert — which makes the UK and U.S. versions — are close to a deal make a version with famous faces. Regular Traitors host Claudia Winkleman is set to present. Our sources say the BBC has big...

James Graham’s double-OIivier Award winning play Dear England is hitting TV screens and the prolific creator is thinking about whether any former soccer players could make the cut.

Speaking to Deadline outside last night’s prestigious London theater awards, Graham floated the likes of Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and former England goalkeeper David Seaman as potentials, although no approaches have been made. Watch the full clip below.

“It’s a drama first and foremost so of course we need good actors but [the question of having real soccer players in it is] a good question,” said Graham. “Do we get the real Gary Lineker? Do we get the real David Seaman? It’s a good question as [the show] should have that sense of fun and playfulness as well.”

Earlier this year, Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright featured in Daniel Kaluuya’s Netflix directorial debut The Kitchen, while footballers such as Vinnie Jones and Eric Cantona...

Succession star Sarah Snook and singer-actress Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards, which were revealed this evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

Snook picked up the Best Actress gong for her multi-character performance in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play also picked up Best Costume Design for Marg Horwell. Scherzinger landed Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Norma Desmond in the recent revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway-bound Sunset Boulevard.

Elsewhere, the Best Director award went to Jamie Lloyd for the Savoy Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard while Vanya starring Andrew Scott landed Best Revival. Mark Gatiss won Best Actor for The Motive and the Cue. Will Close nabbed Best Supporting Actor for his role in the National Theatre’s...

“The Curse” has become one of the most talked-about shows this year with its idiosyncratic mix of cringe comedy, weird horror, marital drama, and sentiment proving to be a recipe for brilliance. The acclaimed Showtime drama series follows Nathan Fielder and Oscar winner Emma Stone as a newly married couple who host an HGTV show. They try to conceive a child as they navigate the effects of a curse.

Fielder and Stone’s performances propel the show to greatness and they are ably supported by Benny Safdie, who co-created the show with Fielder. He plays a desperate producer and while the role is scenery-chewing enough, it’s also a great role for filmmaker Safdie to once again show his acting chops, as noted by critics.

Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) proclaimed: “Safdie makes him a behind-the-scenes sorta-psycho who’s as compelling as his on-air compatriots, inhabiting Dougie with a brand...

While Martin Scorsese aims to kick off production on his Jesus film this year, Terrence Malick is going on year five of editing his, marking one of the only films to wrap production pre-pandemic that still has yet to be released. As so happens every year before the Cannes Film Festival announces its lineup, rumors have swirled that the director’s Biblical epic The Way of the Wind (formerly known as The Last Planet) may see a premiere in 2024. We will, unfortunately, have to wait another year, but in the meantime we have exclusive new details on the highly anticipated project.

Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts...

A TV adaptation of the National Theatre play Dear England is heading to BBC, who beat Netflix in a bidding war.

We got a sneak peek at BBC’s upcoming slate of dramas in February. Among those was a TV adaptation of Dear England, the hit play which has been charming football-friendly audiences in the London theatre scene since its debut in June 2023.

Deadline now reports that Dear England could have very narrowly been a Netflix production instead. There was a fierce bidding war over the rights and according to Deadline, Netflix made a “more lucrative” offer but writer James Graham and Left Bank Pictures chose the BBC instead.

The outlet also reports that the reason behind Graham and Left Bank’s decision was because the team “view Dear England as a national story that should be told by the UK’s national broadcaster.”

Dear England is a fictionalised narrative...

Exclusive: The BBC was victorious in a bidding war with Netflix for Dear England amid fears for the future of British storytelling on television.

Deadline hears that Left Bank Pictures and Dear England writer James Graham wanted the stage play to be adapted on the BBC, despite a more lucrative offer from Netflix.

The four-part series was announced by the BBC last month and will be based on Graham’s National Theatre play, which provides a fictionalized account of England’s soccer team.

Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) featured as waistcoat-wearing England manager Gareth Southgate in the stage show and will reprise his role for the BBC series.

Sony Pictures Television-backed Left Bank and Graham chose the BBC over Netflix because they view Dear England as a national story that should be told by the UK’s national broadcaster.

Financials for the deal were not disclosed and Left Bank will...

Hollywood star Winona Ryder became an iconic star of the 1990s after starring in movies like Edward Scissorhands and Reality Bites. However, the actress faced a downturn in her career in the early 2000s, and her blooming career began to lose its grace. However, she made a comeback as she landed the role of Joyce Byers in the Netflix series Stranger Things.

Winona Ryder in a still from Edward Scissorhands

Winona Ryder has played several non-conventional roles in her time. These roles allowed her to gain a strong foothold in the industry and also set her apart from other female co-stars of that time.

SUGGESTEDThat Time Winona Ryder Was Fined $10,000 And Forced Into Drug Counseling After Prolific Shoplifting Spree

According to the BBC, Winona Ryder was detained on suspicion of shoplifting on December 12, 2001, in Beverly Hills, California. And that incident further contributed to her extended hiatus from the industry. Meanwhile,...

We are still approximately six weeks away from learning the nominees for the 77th Tony Awards, but across the pond the finalists for the 2024 Olivier Awards were just announced. A radical new remounting of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Nicole Scherzinger is the most nominated show of the year with 11 citations. Another musical revival is nipping at its heels: the immersive “Guys and Dolls” scored 10, as did new play “Dear England,” which centers on England’s national men’s football team and stars Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate. Scroll down to see a complete list of 2024 Olivier Awards nominations.

American audiences will be familiar with many of the plays, musicals and performers nominated this year. The Best New Musical category includes Tony Award-winning shows “Next to Normal” and “A Strange Loop,” while Best Musical Revival boasts productions of “Groundhog Day” and “Hadestown.” Caissie Levy,...

Stars including Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Snook, Andrew Scott and David Tennant will compete for Olivier Awards at the UK’s most prestigious theater ceremony next month.

The Sex and the City stars is up for Best Actress for her performance in Plaza Suite – her first Olivier – while Succession’s Snook has picked up a nod for her critically-acclaimed performance as 26 characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the Best Actor category, Scott’s performance in Vanya will come up against Tennant’s role in Macbeth, while the starry nominee list also includes Joseph Fiennes for Dear England, which is being made into a BBC series, Mark Gatiss for The Motive And The Cue and James Norton in A Little Life.

Other notable nominations include for singer Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard, where she has picked up a nod for Best Actress in a Musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s...

Prolific British screenwriter and playwright James Graham has revealed he has been diagnosed as a workaholic and described the addiction as “no different really from drink, drugs or sex.”

Graham appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs yesterday and opened up about the problem, which he said led him to seek help from family and friends and eventually attend Workaholics Anonymous meetings.

“I knew something wasn’t quite right in my late 20s,” said the Sherwood and Brexit: The Uncivil War writer. “I would go into periods where I would be far too isolated or would self-sabotage relationships as soon as they became intimate and important. I was working around the clock continually and not looking after myself.”

He added: “The moment I realized I had a problem was when I had started to lie to family and friends about stupid things like I’d say I got up at 8 a.

The Dolby Theater in Hollywood is ready to host the celebrities this year at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday. A total of ten films are nominated for the Best Picture category. The films in the current nomination list include American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. Fans already have certain favorites to win the Best Picture and anything other than that will surely cause a social media meltdown.

Best Picture nominees at the 96th Academy Awards

Some of the previous Oscar favorites have failed to secure the award, and the voting body picked other surprising entries from the list. There are at least 5 such cases of Academy voters opting for the second-best (or the third or even the worst) movies for the Best Picture Award.

Shakespeare In Love (71st Academy Awards)

Who should have won?...

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here steering you away from Berlin and towards London for the Screenings. Please do read on, and sign up here.

London Calling (Once Again)

Heading to the capital: As Insider goes to press, execs, sellers and buyers are descending on the English capital in their droves for what will undoubtedly be the biggest London TV Screenings so far. Around 30 distributor events are planned across the week, mostly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and all within a square mile of Soho — giving the Screenings an old-fashioned feel that harks back to halcyon days. Founder members All3Media International, Fremantle, ITV Studios and Banijay are hosting the biggest events, while BBC Studios Showcase is hitting London for the second year in a row, with the BBC now working in tandem with its distribution rivals.

BBC has ordered a wide variety of new dramas and among them, a TV adaptation of the National Theatre’s Dear England.

Featured image credit: Marc Brennar

The BBC unveiled its 12 upcoming drama commissions yesterday (21st February), as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Among those is a commission from one of the most prolific – and trendy – studios of our time, A24.

BBC has asked A24 to adapt Kaliane Bradley’s highly anticipated debut novel The Ministry Of Time into a six-part series for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Alice Birch will be in charge of the adaptation and A24 will distribute the series internationally.

The Ministry Of Time will follow Commander Graham Gore who’s swept from his 1845 reality to the present in a time travel experiment. He’s then stuck in a flat share with a woman and has to quickly learn his way around the contemporary world.

Also...

The BBC has unveiled its biggest drama slate in years featuring a TV version of James Graham play Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes from The Crown producer Left Bank, Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood’s debut writing project and a Rebecca Hall-starrer from Poor Things maker Element.

Unveiled at a glitz London do for press and producers, the 12-strong roster, which features some of Britain’s best and brightest talents, is the first from new Drama Director Lindsay Salt, who took over from A24’s Piers Wenger 18 months ago.

Scroll down for the full slate below, which features an adaptation of Sherwood creator Graham’s Dear England about the England soccer manager Gareth Southgate – the play of which has taken London by storm and recently transferred to the West End. Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) will reprise his role as Southgate and Graham will pen the TV version, which...

BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt has candidly floated the notion that the industry has moved from “peak TV to peak caution,” as she details an ambition to “help reshape the drama landscape at a critical time.”

Addressing producers and press for the first time since taking on the nation’s biggest drama commissioning job, Salt reflected on a decade since the phrase “peak TV” first entered the lexicon, raising concerns over “short-termism” and that “the big bets of the boom era are a thing of the past.”

“We’ve seen buyers retreat into cautious commissioning spaces,” said Salt. “The industry as a whole has become – dare I say it – a little fearful.”

Expanding her point, Salt said “financial pressures and commercial imperatives” have led buyers to “default to safe bets.”

She cited “inflation, content and platform saturation, retrenchment and the writers strike” as the key factors leading to “peak caution,...