Variety

“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” has found its leads. Joseph Zada will star as District 12 tribute Haymitch Abernathy, while Whitney Peak will play his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird. https://lnkd.in/gV8i7a5f

VIP+ Analysis: Jack Dorsey’s call on X to “delete all IP law” signals the dangers of weakening copyright protections to empower AI. https://lnkd.in/gqNGCKR6

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos says the entertainment industry gets “overlooked” in U.S. trade policy. “We kind of get thrown under the bus in trade deals occasionally,” Sarandos said, adding, “You hardly ever see a sitting president photographed on a studio lot.”

Audra McDonald and Jake Gyllenhaal are playing iconic villains on Broadway, and when the two actors meet up for Variety's Actors on Actors, they bond over their refusal to view their characters as purely evil. McDonald, a six-time Tony winner for “Carousel,” “Ragtime” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” is making history in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Gypsy.” She’s the first Black actor to portray the ultimate stage mother, Mama Rose. Gyllenhaal, who was on Broadway in the 2017 production of “Sunday in the Park With George” and scored a Tony nomination for the 2019 play “Sea Wall/A Life,” channels the scheming Iago in Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” opposite Denzel Washington. In their #ActorsOnActors conversation, the two stars compare notes on their theater superstitions, preserving their voices during lengthy runs and reacting when cellphones ring during performances. Read their full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/g8RzEM3N 

Variety's Entertainment Marketing Summit is officially SOLD OUT! Thank you to everyone who secured their spot for this event. We are excited to bring together leading CMOs, creative talent and brand leaders who are shaping the future of entertainment. For those who weren’t able to grab tickets, key takeaways and highlights will be shared across Variety.com and Variety's social channels, so stay tuned! See the full lineup here: Variety.com/EntMar

CBS has given series orders to both Tim Meadows’ single-cam comedy “DMV” and Matthew Gray Gubler‘s drama “Einstein.” Both projects had been previously announced as pilots in development at the network. In workplace comedy “DMV,” Meadows plays a former high school English teacher turned examiner, who wants nothing more than to get through the driving tests as quickly as possible. He stars alongside Harriett Dyer, who plays Colette, a big-hearted examiner who is “adorably neurotic” and “bad with boundaries,” but genuinely roots for the driving students to pass. Read the story by Ethan Shanfeld. (https://lnkd.in/gBRdnDaE)

The executive producer of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, only the third in the venerable newsmagazine’s history, said he will leave his job, citing an increasing lack of ability “to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience” as parent company Paramount Global tries to move past a lawsuit filed against CBS News by President Donald Trump and secure its future in a merger with Skydance Media. “Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens told staffers in a memo Tuesday, adding: “So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.” Owens made his announcement during an emotional Tuesday meeting with “60 Minutes” staffers, including Scott Pelley, according to a person familiar with the matter, and received a standing ovation from staff. Read the full report from Variety's Brian Steinberg. (https://lnkd.in/gTq8qiaN)

Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to scour up additional revenue from Max subscribers who have been piggybacking off of someone else’s account. On Tuesday, Max launched the Extra Member Add-On feature in the U.S., priced at $7.99/month. That lets a primary account owner to share their Max account by inviting a friend or family member outside of their household to create a separate, standalone account with an adult profile under the same subscription. Max’s launch of the Extra Member feature comes after WBD execs said they planned to notify users of restrictions on sharing streaming accounts outside their household. Read the full report by Variety's Todd Spangler. (https://lnkd.in/gGBgM2sk)

CBS is officially greenlighting a new series in the “FBI” franchise focused on CIA agents. Tom Ellis is attached for one of the two lead roles in the drama, which is currently titled simply “CIA.” It is set to air during the 2025-2026 broadcast season. The show was first reported to be in the works back in January, though at the time there were plans to have it begin as a backdoor pilot, with characters to be introduced during an episode of the current season of “FBI.” Read the full report from Variety's Joe Otterson. (https://lnkd.in/ghSVcJjc)

Fox has picked up the competition series “The Snake,” with comedian Jim Jefferies onboard to host. The series will air on Fox this summer and stream next day on Hulu. An exact premiere date will be announced at a later time. The series is wholly owned by Fox Entertainment and produced by 495 Productions. SallyAnn Salsano serves as executive producer and showrunner. Frank Miccolis and Kim Green also serve as executive producers. Read the full report from Variety's Joe Otterson. (https://lnkd.in/gRJ2tryJ)