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Stefan Ruzowitzky, it seems, has had enough of World War II.

The Austrian filmmaker, whose followed up hit German horror film Anatomy (2000) with the misfiring WW2 action-comedy All the Queen’s Men (2001) starring Eddie Izzard and Matt LeBlanc, and who won an Oscar for his acclaimed Holocaust drama The Counterfeiters (2007), has been reluctant since to revisit to the well-trodden conflicts of Europe in the 1930s and 40s.

Instead, Ruzowitzky has indulged in genre cinema, directing the heist movie Deadfall (2012) with Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde, or pandemic horror Patient Zero (2018) starring Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer, and Matt Smith,...

The streaming service, UrbanflixTV, has tapped actor-director Kim Fields to executive produce and direct the new series “Vicious,” which hails from an all-female, Black producing team, Variety has learned exclusively.

A half-hour dramatic comedy, “Vicious” will follow a fashion designer, Chantel, whose success is overshadowed by her deep denial about the cycle of abuse she internally endures. With the assistance of her secret weapon, the publicist to her Vicious Empire, Chantel works to rise through the ranks, but her husband’s narcissistic behavior threatens to tear down the house she built.

The cast of “Vicious” will be announced closer to the series premiere.

Originally a short film digital series, “Vicious” was created by Jill E. Ramsey, CEO of Jilly Thunda Productions, and written by authors Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite and Tu-Shonda Whitaker. Ramsey will serve as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Fields, Tami Roman and Kimberly Ogletree, CEO of Karat Entertainment.

“Bringing...

Production powerhouse Tyler Perry has landed on the Forbes billionaires list for the first time, with $1 billion. The prolific filmmaker behind the Madea franchise, The Have and the Have Nots and Netflix’s recently announced A Jazzman’s Blues is billionaire No. 2,677.

Other TV series from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta include Sistas and The Oval. He’s working on All the Queen’s Men for BET+, the streaming service joint venture between Perry and ViacomCBS.

Perry joins Kanye West and Kim Kardashian — who happen to be in the midst of a divorce — among 493 first-time additions to Forbes’ 35th annual list, which totals 2,755 billionaires, 660 more than a year ago. Musician and entrepreneur Kanye West, who has a multi-year deal to design sneaker brand Yeezy for Adidas, is billionaire No. 1,750 with $1.8 billion. Kim Kardashian West, who parlayed reality TV stardom into a fortune with a mobile game, cosmetics and most recently shapewear,...

Tyler Perry was one of the first producers to come up with a comprehensive plan to safely restart TV production in April 2020, just several weeks into the pandemic-related Hollywood shutdown. He got filming up and running by mid-July, employing a quarantine bubble model, in which cast and crew are sequestered on the lot for the duration of a shoot.

This Saturday, April 10, Perry will end the bubble at his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, a rep for the media mogul confirmed to Deadline. The move follows a mass vaccination event at the studio this past Saturday, April 3. Perry, who covered the logistical costs, contracted Grady Hospital whose staffers set up the vaccination site at Tps for his entire crew and their family and friends who had not received a vaccine yet.

While open to everyone at the studio and their close ones, the vaccines were not mandatory. Over 250 people were...

Tyler Perry Studios has another new drama headed to the BET+ streaming service. All The Queen's Men will launch this summer and will star Eva Marcille, Skyh Alvester Black, Candace Maxwell, Raquel Palmer, Michael ‘Bolo’ Bolwaire, Keith Swift, Dion Rome, Jeremy Williams, and Christian Keyes. Created by Keyes, the series will revolve around life at Club Eden, the fictional home to some of the hottest male exotic dancers in the country.

revealed more about the new series in a press release.

“Today, the preeminent streamer of Black content, BET+, and Tyler Perry Studios reveal the cast of its new scripted series, All The Queen's Men, and give a first-look preview. This Summer, BET+ will open the doors to Club Eden, the fictional home to the hottest and most sensual male exotic dancers in the country! Based on the popular book Ladies Night,...

Tyler Perry has another new drama headed to BET+. All The Queen's Men will land on the streaming service this summer. The cast for the upcoming drama has also been revealed. Eva Marcille, Skyh Alvester Black, and Candace Maxwell are a part of the cast that will bring Club Eden, a fictional home to some of the hottest male exotic dancers in the country, to life.

revealed more about the new series in a press release.

“Today, the preeminent streamer of Black content, BET+, and Tyler Perry Studios reveal the cast of its new scripted series, All The Queen's Men, and give a first-look preview. This Summer, BET+ will open the doors to Club Eden, the fictional home to the hottest and most sensual male exotic dancers in the country! Based on the popular book Ladies Night, created by Christian Keyes, whom...

Craig “Mums” Grant, an actor and poet who appeared in all six seasons of HBO’s prison drama Oz among dozens of film, TV and stage credits, died Thursday, apparently of natural causes, according to his representatives. He was 52.

Billed as muMs da Schemer, the name he used during his early slam-poetry years, Grant guested or recurred as Arnold “Poet” Jackson on Oz during its entire 1997-2003 run, appearing in all but seven episodes. His character was a heroin addict who is released from “Emerald City,” only to return after killing a drug dealer. A member of the Homeboys prison gang, the character often recited poems about social and political injustice endured by Black Americans.

Born and raised in New York City, Grant competed in at the 1996 National Poetry Slam as a member of the Nuyorican team and was featured in the 1998 feature documentary Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word.

Craig muMs Grant, who portrayed Arnold “Poet” Jackson on the acclaimed HBO drama Oz, has died. He was 52.

Grant died Wednesday, his rep Pam Ellis-Evenas of the Ellis Talent Group said. No cause of death has been determined.

At the time of his death, Grant was shooting a recurring role on the Starz series Hightown in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was set to travel to Atlanta on Monday to wrap a recurring arc on the BET streaming series All the Queen’s Men.

He also had recently completed a turn in the Steven Soderbergh film No Sudden Move opposite John Hamm, Benicio ...

Craig muMs Grant, who portrayed Arnold “Poet” Jackson on the acclaimed HBO drama Oz, has died. He was 52.

Grant died Wednesday, his rep Pam Ellis-Evenas of the Ellis Talent Group said. No cause of death has been determined.

At the time of his death, Grant was shooting a recurring role on the Starz series Hightown in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was set to travel to Atlanta on Monday to wrap a recurring arc on the BET streaming series All the Queen’s Men.

He also had recently completed a turn in the Steven Soderbergh film No Sudden Move opposite John Hamm, Benicio ...

BET+ revealed the cast of its upcoming Tyler Perry-produced male-stripper drama “All the Queen’s Men” on Thursday, a list of names that was accompanied by two first-look photos and a teaser introducing you to Club Eden, the fictional home to the hottest and most sensual male exotic dancers in the country.

Set to premiere this summer on BET’s streaming service, “All the Queen’s Men” is based on the book “Ladies Night” and centers around the life of Marilyn “Madam” DeVille, played by Eva Marcille. Madam is a fierce businesswoman who is at the top of her game in the nightclub industry and surrounded by a band of trusted employees who are down to make sure that she is successful. But Madam, a self-proclaimed boss, soon discovers that more money and more power means more problems. Will Madam retain reign as she navigates this dangerous and sexy society? Will...

Exclusive: BET+ has revealed the cast for its male exotic dancer series All The Queen’s Men, based off Christian Keye’s book, Ladies Night, from Tyler Perry Studios. Eva Marcille, Skyh Alvester Black and Candace Maxwell are among the cast members who will bring Club Eden, the fictional home to the hottest and most sensual male exotic dancers in the country, to life. Raquel Palmer, Michael ‘Bolo’ Bolwaire, Keith Swift, Dion Rome, Jeremy Williams and Keyes round out the cast.

Set to drop exclusively on BET+ this summer, All The Queen’s Men is a one-hour 10-episode drama that centers around the life of “Marilyn ‘Madam’ DeVille,” played by Marcille. Madam is a fierce businesswoman who is at the top of her game in the nightclub industry and surrounded by a band of trusted employees who are down to make sure that she is successful. But Madam, a self-proclaimed boss, soon...

Hulu is getting in the boxing ring with Mike Tyson. The streamer has ordered the limited scripted series Iron Mike, about “the wild, tragic and controversial life and career behind one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture,” it was announced during the virtual Television Critics Association winter press tour.

The eight-episode drama was created by I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers, with Karin Gist (mixed-ish, Girlfriends) serving as showrunner.

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Ready...

The prolific Tyler Perry is setting another drama at BET+.

Tyler Perry Studios is working on All the Queen’s Men for the streaming service, which is a joint venture between him and ViacomCBS.

The series follows the female owner of an upscale strip club in Atlanta who is savvy and charming. It is expected to shoot in the Georgia capital.

“I began my career in this direct-to-consumer business, so I know it well,” Perry said. “I know how much my audience value and seek our great content, anchored in our culture and experiences. BET+ is home to an extraordinary array of content including my movies, series, dramas, sitcoms and stage plays. I can’t wait to create even more great content for the BET+ viewers.”

‘Tyler Perry’s Sistas’ Renewed For Season 3 By BET...

Steven Moffat's Sherlock launched with a total of 7.5m (30.4%) viewers for the BBC last night, according to early overnight data. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, 'A Study In Pink' was seen by 7.05m (28.5%) on BBC One, while 479k (1.9%) watched in HD. Earlier on the channel, The Antiques Roadshow appealed to 4.82m (24.3%) [HD: 111k/0.6%], enough to outperform Alan Titchmarsh's All The Queen's Men, which managed 2.95m (14%). At 7.30pm, 4.77m (21.6%) [HD: 143k/0.7%] watched the final Last of the Summer Wine series opener. Meanwhile, at 8pm, the return of Countryfile interested 4.24m (16.2%) but was beaten by Heartbeat, which had 4.68m (17.9%) [HD: 168k/0.6%] for ITV1. Top Gear won the hour for BBC Two with 5.84m (22.3%), boosted by a special guest appearance from Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. BBC HD attracted (more)...

As awards season presses on, some of the smaller ceremonies are showing a predilection for edgy British comedy. Following Ricky Gervais' stint at the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards has announced that Eddie Izzard will be its master of ceremonies on March 5, according to The New York Times.

The 47-year-old Izzard — who has enjoyed international success since the mid-90s — is famous for his absurdist, interactive style of standup, which often sees him change his performances based on audience reactions. His commentary runs the gamut from Roman history to squirrels in makeup, from the Catholic church to vacuum noises, from the Heimlich maneuver to French instructional tapes. He even regularly works foreign languages into his English-speaking shows; he once recited a two-minute version of Speed in French.

Until recently, he performed in drag as a self-proclained "executive transvestite," but he has since transitioned into a more "traditional" appearance.

The American Film Market has announced the five nominees for the first Favorite Film Pitch award.

They are Stephanie Bell ("The Devil of Apalachia"), Carlo Besasie ("All the Queen's Men"), Mouncey Ferguson ("Forger"), Barry Kneller ("The Mechanics") and David Minnihan ("Father John").

During Wednesday nights' "People's Choice Awards," fans were invited to vote through Jan. 20 for the pitch they would most like to see get made into a film at the Web site.

Submissions to the first Favorite Film Pitch contest were recorded live Nov. 7-10 on a mini-set at the Afm. Each pitch was limited to two-and-a-half minutes.

The Afm assembled a group of industry leaders to select the five finalists. In addition to receiving the Favorite Film Pitch Award, the winner will receive an Afm 2010 package that includes full access for two to the Afm, including seminars and conferences; airfare for two to Los Angeles; hotel for five...

LONDON -- Irish-born Hollywood-based screenwriter and producer Gabrielle Kelly will be in Moscow this week to lead a four-day master-class at the International Film Workshop of which she is co-founder. It opens Tuesday at the Russian capital's Praktika Theater. Kelly, whose producer credits include 2001 Eddie Izzard-starrer All the Queen's Men and 1985 children's movie D.A.R.Y.L, will guide a group of young Russian film professionals and students on the producing and screenwriting master-class through all the stages of movie production from creating a script idea, treatment and plan, casting, choice of director and production company, distribution, marketing, press and festival promotion. Kelly, a board member of the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), who also teaches screenwriting at the University of Southern California and UCLA and has worked with Sydney Lumet and Robert Evans, said in a statement about her visit to Russia: "We're all in the global marketplace and I think we realize we all have as much to learn and projects that could be shot here while we share our talents during this exciting time for Russia's filmmakers."...

COLOGNE, Germany -- A German-U.S. investment consortium led by producer Marco Weber and German entertainment lawyer and Viva TV co-founder Helge Sasse has acquired a majority stake in insolvent German film group Senator Entertainment from Deutsche Bank, the companies announced Thursday. In addition to Weber and Sasse's acquisition of a 50.1% share in Senator from Deutsche Bank, the bank and a group of smaller investors continue to hold a 30% share of Senator. The rest will remain in free-float. As required by German law, Weber and Sasse will make a buyout offer to Senator's minority shareholders. Under his L.A.-based Atlantic Streamline banner, German-born Weber has produced such indie titles as Igby Goes Down, All The Queen's Men and The Thirteenth Floor.

Eddie Izzard showed Friends hunk Matt LeBlanc a clean pair of heels on the set of new movie All The Queen's Men - by beating him in a running race. The two became unlikely pals on the set of the movie and went jogging together at the start of every day. British comic Izzard says, "We were in Hungary and we were running and we got into this childish thing as if we were about six, and we had to be the fastest - and I beat him."...

"Friends" (1994) star Matt LeBlanc has refused to do any more of his own stunts after his stunt double was injured. The 33-year-old who plays Joey on the hit NBC sitcom was filming his new movie All the Queen's Men (2001) when the double fell through a metal table and punctured his lung. The man was taken to the hospital and put in intensive care but later made a full recovery.

Emmy-winning comedian Eddie Izzard admits he's still confused about his sexuality - describing himself as a "lesbian". The cross dressing heterosexual, who picked up two Emmy Awards for his performance in Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill (1998) (V) on Sunday, admits he and society haven't quite come to terms with his preferences. He says, "It is still a bit confusing. And I know that some sections of society still find me abhorrent. I am not gay, I'd say if I was." And the British star reveals actor Matt LeBlanc was a little confused himself when he began filming new movie All the Queen's Men (2001) with him. He says, "Matt was a bit worried about me - what I was going to be like." But Eddie soon won him over, "Now he says I am his favorite transvestite!"...