Top News

It would appear that “Us” won’t be Elisabeth Moss’ only collaboration with powerhouse production company Blumhouse. The Emmy-winning “Mad Men” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” star has joined “The Invisible Man,” a reboot of the classic monster movie that Jason Blum’s genre-centric studio is producing alongside Universal. Leigh Whannell is helming the project, which was originally announced as part of Universal’s Dark Universe — a venture that was scrapped after the rocky reception to 2017’s “The Mummy.”

It’s been a good month for both Moss and Blumhouse, with “Us” already raking in more than $220 million worldwide against a $20 million budget; its opening-weekend haul of $71 million is the highest ever for a horror film not based on an existing property. The studio behind “Get Out” partnered with director Jordan Peele once again on their continued fruitful collaboration, and Blumhouse may hope to begin a similar relationship with Moss

Lionsgate’s “Hellboy” remake launched to $1.4 million at 2,700 North American locations on Thursday night.

The number compares favorably with 2017’s “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” which scored $1 million in previews and opened with $13.6 million.

Universal’s body-swap comedy “Little” opened with $735,000 at 2,200 sites during Thursday previews.

“Shazam!” will probably repeat as the box office champ in North America after the DC Comics superhero tentpole debuted with $53 million. As of Wednesday, it had earned $67 million at the domestic box office. “Shazam!” launched at the top end of forecasts with an “A” Cinemascore from audiences. It could add another $24 to $28 million in its sophomore frame at 4,306 sites.

“Hellboy,” starring “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour, is expected to take in between $16 million to $20 million when it hits 3,303 screens. Directer by Neil Marshall, “Hellboy” is the third movie based on the Dark Horse comic about the half-demon superhero. The cast includes Ian McShane, Sasha Lane and Daniel Dae Kim.

Tatiana Maslany has signed on for lead role in the upcoming “Perry Mason” series at HBO, Variety has confirmed.

The former “Orphan Black” star joins previously announced series lead Matthew Rhys. Maslany will play Sister Alice, the leader of the Radiant Assembly of God, preaching three sermons a day to a hungry congregation and a radio audience that spans the country. An entertainer, politician, God’s conduit to the City of Angels, Sister Alice wields great power when she speaks, and plans to use it in ways only she can know.

More to come…

Disney+ is priming The Sandlot for its streaming service, with the 1993 movie’s original director and co-writer David Mickey Evans attached to write and executive produce.

Deadline hears the series is in early development. The Sandlot is the second 20th Century Fox-related IP announced today to be developed for Disney’s streaming service. Earlier today, a Love, Simon TV series based on Greg Berlanti’s movie from last year was announced for Disney+ with This Is Us executive producers/co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, who wrote the movie, writing/executive producing via their overall deal at 20th Century Fox TV.

The Sandlot series will be set in 1984, when the original cast are adults and they all have children of their own. The streaming series will be separate from the The Sandlot prequel film which Evans is writing with Austin Reynolds, which is to take place in the 1950s.

“Good Girls” has been renewed for a third season at NBC.

The drama about three friends who robbed a bank and then got sucked into the world of money laundering stars Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta.

“We’re so excited to continue following the friendship and adventures of these three incredible women while also exploring relatable issues in both funny and surprising ways,” said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, co-presidents of scripted programming at NBC Entertainment. “Congratulations to Jenna Bans, and our amazing writers, cast and crew who give these stories depth and humanity.”

In the second season, the women have had to deal with the consequences of their criminal behavior. Beth (Hendricks) brought the illegal activities into her legitimate place of business, while Ruby (Retta) and her husband Stan (Reno Wilson) were threatened by the FBI, which forced Ruby to choose between her family and friends. And Annie

CBS has renewed “Blue Bloods” for a 10th season, with series lead Tom Selleck inking a new deal to return as the show’s lead.

The cop drama centers on a multi-generational family of New York City cops. Selleck plays Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, who heads both the police force and his family. Reagan’s brood includes seasoned detective Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), Assistant District Attorney Erin (Bridget Moynahan), and Jamie (Will Estes), who left a future career in law to follow in the family footsteps.

“’Blue Bloods’ has been a top-10 drama and Friday’s top-rated show every year it’s been on the air,” said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment. “On a night that many have claimed is quiet for broadcast television, its quality writing, superb acting and familial warmth have attracted an average of over 13 million passionate viewers each week for nine years. We are delighted that

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers from the “This Is Us” Season 3 finale.

“This Is Us” wrapped up its third season with a flash-forward into the future, which introduced much new information about the Pearson family — and also brought about many new questions.

Justin Hartley, who plays Kevin Pearson, was in the midst of key storylines in the finale, including the revelation that he becomes a father.

“I think it’s wonderful. He’s probably an amazing father,” Hartley said, speaking to Variety‘s senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister during a conversation at the 92nd Street Y in New York City this week.

(This post contains spoilers for the mid-credits tease at the end of “Shazam.)

Films based on DC Comics, until recently, eschewed the standard Marvel trick of adding on extra scenes during or at the end of the credits to tease future films or just to throw in some new jokes. Nobody really knew for sure why that was — maybe it was just a DC vs. Marvel thing. But whatever the reason, “Justice League” broke the mold with its mid-credits tease of a Lex Luthor-led supervillain team-up. And then “Aquaman” teased the next film in that series, as does “Shazam” now. DC Comics, it seems, has given in to that trend.

The mid-credits teaser on “Shazam,” though, can be quite a head-scratcher if you don’t know what’s going on. So let’s take a look at what exactly that bonus scene means.

Also Read: 'Shazam!' Film Review: DC

In today’s roundup, Hulu announces July premiere dates for Mindy Kaling’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Veronica Mars” starring Kristen Bell.

Dates

Hulu has announced that Mindy Kaling’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” will premiere on the streamer on July 31. Richard Curtis, who wrote the original film of the same name, will executive produce the series adaptation. The remake follows a group of friends whose lives intersect through the titular weddings and funeral they attend. MGM is producing alongside Universal TV, Jonathan Prince, 3 Arts‘ Howard Klein, and Working Title‘s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

Welcome to “TV Take,” Variety‘s television podcast. In this week’s episode, Variety executive editor of TV, Daniel Holloway, talks with John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarley on “Game of Thrones.” The final season of the HBO drama premieres Sunday, April 14th.

At the end of season 7, Sam and his partner Gilly (Hannah Murray) left the Citadel, a decision which Bradley says was extremely difficult to take for his character, but which has changed him for the better.

“His ideas are too progressive, and he’s dispirited about that because he’s invested so much into this place that completely lets him down,

Gabriel Basso has been cast as the lead in Ron Howard’s next film, an adaptation of “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Basso joins Academy Award-nominated actors Glenn Close and Amy Adams in the film, which is set up at Netflix.

The film is based on the best-selling memoir by J.D. Vance. In addition to directing, Howard will produce alongside Brian Grazer and Karen Lunder for Imagine Entertainment. Julie Oh and Vance will executive produce.

“Hillbilly Elegy” is a modern exploration of the American dream and three generations of an Appalachian family as told by its youngest member, a Yale Law student forced to return to his hometown.

Also Read: Glenn Close Joins Ron Howard's 'Hillbilly Elegy' With Amy Adams

The book chronicles Vance’s life growing up poor in the Rust Belt among the working- class “hillbillies” and charts his family’s struggle as they navigate through drug addiction and social and economic challenges.

Soak this up, “Big Bang Theory” fans.

With the CBS comedy preparing to wrap up with its current 12th and final season, series star Kaley Cuoco gifted fans with a throwback photo on Thursday.

In the photo, Cuoco was wrapped up herself, in a towel.

Also Read: 'Big Bang Theory' Star Kaley Cuoco's Dressing Room Offers an Interesting Warning Sign in Behind-the-Scenes Look (Photo)

According to Cuoco, the pic was from the series’ pilot, way back in 2007.

“#tbt @bigbangtheory_cbs pilot , September 2007,” Cuoco wrote of the image.

Hey, at least Cuoco was sending a strong pro-bathing message — unlike, say, a certain colleague of hers.

Also Read: 'Big Bang Theory' Star Johnny Galecki Shows Off His 'Less Showered' Look in Behind-the-Scenes Photo

Cuoco’s post elicited a variety of emotions from fans, who made their feelings known in the comments section.

“I will miss big bang and your beautiful smile on the show,

“Shazam,” the latest DC Comics film, is the second comic book movie of the year after “Captain Marvel” and ahead of many others on the 2019 calendar, like “Hellboy,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and more

For a long time, movies based on DC properties eschewed the practice that became the norm for their Marvel counterparts — post-credits scenes. Marvel movies, and movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular, loved tossing in a bonus scene during and/or at the end of the credits to tease future movies or just add a little extra joke. But DC didn’t do that sort of thing until very recently, with “Justice League” back in 2017 and “Aquaman” just a few months back.

So does “Shazam” follow the recent DC trend by including any bonus scenes after the credits roll, or does it stick with the old norm for DC flicks by skipping any extra teases?

Investors are not an easy crowd to shock, but Disney CEO Bob Iger managed to induce at least two audible gasps when unveiling his company’s long-awaited Disney+ streaming service on Thursday afternoon. The first was the news that “The Simpsons” would move all of its 30 seasons over to Disney+ — a sign of just how extensive the company’s library is since its $71 billion Fox acquisition — and the second came with the $6.99 monthly subscription price.

The whole event amounted to Iger firing a warning shot: This is what a true Netflix competitor looks like. But is it a Netflix killer?

Not likely, according to several media and business experts. Instead, once Disney+ launches on November 12, a new streaming landscape is expected to emerge: Netflix atop the hill, followed by Disney+, with a wide chasm separating the two services and the rest of their competitors.

“The question is, will anybody drop

A University of Missouri-Kansas City student has been charged with assault after interrupting a speech Thursday by Daily Wire’s conservative commentator Michael Knowles and spraying him with a substance.

“A Umkc student identified as Gerard G. Dabu has been charged with peace disturbance – disturbing schools or lawful assemblies; assault on law enforcement; and property damage. Dabu was arrested Thursday night and released on bond. Today, Dabu also has been charged with assault and resisting arrest of law enforcement and in the discharge of their duties,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to TheWrap on Friday.

In a note to students, university chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal added more detail.

Also Read: Fox News, Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire Dominate Facebook's Most Popular Stories of 2019

“Police had no choice but to react as if the substance was an immediate danger. Tests later revealed the substance to be lavender

How big of a deal is “Game of Thrones” to HBO? Forget all those Emmys for a second, the dragon-y drama averages three times the amount of viewers than HBO’s second-largest series.

We’ll give you a moment to guess what show the runner-up is.

Did you guess “Westworld”? We can pretend that you did, as any other answer wouldn’t look like anything to us.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Season 8: Here's Everything We Know About the Series' Epic Ending

Yes, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s sci-fi series, which began production on its third season last month, is currently the second-most-watched show on the pay-tv provider. But, as we said, it’s a distant second.

Per HBO’s tally, which stops counting episode views 30 days after the finale aired, Season 7 of “GoT” put up an average of 32.8 million viewers.

When comparing with Nielsen’s

“Game of Thrones” is set to breathe fire — er, life — back into HBO’s lineup this Sunday, when the pay-tv provider will be happy to have the epic drama’s epic Nielsen numbers for its epic eighth and final season premiere.

But just how high have the ratings become for HBO’s highest-rated program? Well, per the network’s own data, the small-screen adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s book series more than tripled its viewership averages from Season 1 to Season 7, where we last left off. And per Nielsen’s numbers, it quadrupled.

While both spikes rival the size of the show’s The Mountain as “GoT’s” single-biggest year-over-year jump in terms of percentages, here’s why the pay-tv channel’s numbers are different from the data and measurement company’s stats.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Season 8: Here's Everything We Know About the Series' Epic Ending

First,

Country and Americana music is well-represented in the glut of Record Store Day releases arriving April 13th. These are the 10 we’re most excited about, from rare live sets to essential best-ofs.

Lone Justice, Live at the Palomino 1983

The vaunted Los Angeles cowpunk band rips through 12 originals and covers in this wild-eyed live set, captured at Los Angeles’ famed Palomino and featuring the early lineup of Maria McKee, Ryan Hedgecock, Marvin Etzioni and Don Willens. Included are versions of “You Are the Light” and the snarling “Working Late,” both of

When Victor Hugo wrote the 1900-page tome “Les Misérables” in 1862, he gave the world a transcending and sweeping tale that dissected the division of class while breathing life into complex characters spanning decades. Unfortunately, no matter what your stance on musical theater, much of that tome has since been lost in Broadway and big screen iterations.

Given that the book is one of the longest ever written, that comes as no surprise.

Enter the incoming six-part PBS limited series “Les Misérables,” a music-free offering aiming to introduce the novel’s intricate themes and plots to new and older audiences alike in a more intimate setting.

The NBA playoffs kick off this weekend, but there is one notable absence: LeBron James.

For the first time since 2005, the league’s most recognizable player will be sitting at home when the postseason tips off, ending a disastrous first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. But how much will that impact the Nielsen ratings for ESPN/ABC and Turner?

“Not having him in the playoffs? Obviously that is going to hurt,” Reggie Miller, an analyst for TNT, said during a press call earlier this week. But he adds that the Golden State Warriors going for a three-peat — and four in the past five years — is one of many still-compelling storylines this postseason.

“What’s fun now is seeing who wants to take the mantle LeBron has created,” fellow TNT analyst Chris Webber added. “The Playoffs overall are going to be so exciting and competitive that the casual fan will