Sunday Times: Celebs Rumors

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Netflix has optioned the YA novel Happy Place by Emily Henry for Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican. Plans to adapt the novel as a series are underway and I understand producers and streaming executives are currently meeting with writers.

EXCLUSIVE: Synchronicity Films is adapting Hanif Kureishi’s The Body as a series with the novelist and screenwriter on board as an exec producer and Emmy-nominated director Paul McGuigan attached. There are scripts from crime writer Robert Murphy and the producers will relocate the action from the UK to the U.S. for the series.

Carolyn Giardina Laika has acquired the rights to fantasy novel “Piranesi”by Susanna Clarke and will make an animated adaptation directed by its president and CEO Travis Knight. Knight, who previously helmed the studio’s Oscar-nominated “Kubo and the Two Strings” as well as “Bumblebee” from the Transformers franchise, said of the novel :”‘Piranesi’ is a treasure, and very dear to me. As a filmmaker, I can scarcely imagine a more joyful experience than wandering through the worlds Susanna dreamed into being.

Laika, the renowned Oregon animation studio founded by Travis Knight, has acquired the internationally bestselling fantasy novel Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, enlisting Knight to direct an animated feature adaptation.

Katcy Stephan UTA has signed award-winning author and screenwriter Dolly Alderton. She will continue to be represented by the Curtis Brown Group in the U.K. for screenwriting and media rights and C&W for U.K.

News Corp. and OpenAI have reached an multi-year agreement to provide content for use in artificial intelligence.

BBC news presenter Huw Edwards was warned about his conduct online two years before the scandal that triggered his departure from the corporation, The Sunday Times reports.

BBC Radio 1, claiming that he is “not just some posh idiot”.The former Made In Chelsea star, who has since turned into a podcaster, was announced as the new host of the BBC Drivetime show last month, replacing Jordan North.North had been with the radio station for a decade and recently moved over to Capital FM – taking over from Roman Kemp, who had hosted the station’s Breakfast show for seven years.However, upon being announced as the new presenter of the 3.30pm to 6pm, Monday to Thursday slot, Laing faced backlash from across social media, with many accusing him of not being deserving of the role and only famous as a reality star, rather than as a DJ.Now, he has spoken out against the criticism and told listeners it is a “misconception” that he only got the role because of his time on reality television.“[It is a] misconception that I just swanned in here,” he told the Sunday Times in a new interview (via Standard). “I’ve been trying to get this job for eight years, constantly grinding, constantly asking to do little slots.“No one is given a job here because their mum or dad helped them into it.

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer says he “warned” Hollywood about the “extraordinary” Nicholas Lyndhurst prior to casting him in the reboot.READ MORE: The best new and returning TV shows to watch in 2023Grammer recently cast the Only Fools And Horses star in the return of the hit American sitcom, saying Lyndhurst is a “magnificent” talent. “He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever worked with,” Grammer told the BBC following the news of the surprise casting.Now, in a new interview with Sunday Times Culture, Grammer said he “warned” Hollywood about how good an actor Lyndhurst was ahead of production on the series.“Nicholas Lyndhurst is co-lead in [the reboot],” he said.

Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Adele have been included on the Sunday Times Rich List – named as some of the UK’s richest people under the age of 35.Released earlier today (May 19), the list counts down the 35 richest people under the age of 35 in the UK. Among sporting legends, including Rory McIlroy and Anthony Joshua, actors and entrepreneurs, three British musicians are also featured.These are pop icons Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles, who are all listed as having an estimated wealth of more than £150million.All having experienced enormous success across the globe, Sheeran – aged 32 – has the highest ranking out of the three musical acts.

Two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland,” “Eternals,” “The Rider”) will direct “Hamnet,” an adaptation of the critically acclaimed, award winning novel by Maggie O’Farrell, Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Book of Shadows announced on Tuesday.Zhao and O’Farrell will write the script together.The New York Times Bestselling historical fiction novel imagines the story of Agnes – the wife of the world’s most famous writer, William Shakespeare – as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, Hamnet. The novel charts the emotional, familial and artistic consequences of that loss, bringing to life a human and heart-stopping story as the backdrop to the creation of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet.

The SNP has challenged Rishi Sunak to remove the Conservative party whip from Boris Johnson over the former prime minister's dealings with the chairman of the BBC.

Ralph Fiennes, babe, no…

Manori Ravindran International Editor Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace and Dermot Mulroney are set to star in the psychological thriller “Blackwater Lane.” Based on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling book “The Breakdown” by British author B.A. Paris, the film tells the story of a woman (Kelly) who drives by a stranded motorist later who is later revealed to have been murdered. After a series of terrifying events, the woman becomes convinced she is the killer’s next victim while her husband (Mulroney) and her best friend (Grace) worry about her sanity. Paris has an international fan base, and “Blackwater Lane” is the first film produced from her books. Filming has now begun in Suffolk, U.K., with Jeff Celentano (“The Hill”) directing.

Russia has added to its so-called stop-list, barring a further 39 British politicians, officials, business people and journalists from entering the country including TV presenter Piers Morgan. 

Idris Elba is reportedly in talks to back a £1billion bid for Channel 4.According to The Sunday Times, the actor is in discussions with entrepreneur Marc Boyan, the founder and CEO of marketing and communications firm The Miroma Group.News of Elba’s potential venture comes after the government recently announced its plans to privatise Channel 4 in an attempt to secure its long-term funding and compete with major streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.Before rising to the fame in Luther, Elba made appearances in numerous British TV shows, including the police drama The Bill and Channel 5 soap Family Affairs.He previously spoke of the importance of British television and his experience with Channel 5, telling The Irish Times: “At the time Channel 5 didn’t have lots of viewers. Few thousand, probably?“But because they were a new channel they were courageous, they put lots of new young actors on screen, and I hold the experience close to my heart.

On the day season three of Abi Morgan’s drama series The Split launches in the U.S. on BBC America, producer Sister has snapped up rights to the screenwriter’s autobiographical book This is Not a Pity Memoir.

Sliding into the DMs! Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor’s romance has been one for the ages — and it all started with a little social media flirtation!

Steven Bartlett probably wasn't expecting a shout-out on Coronation Street but he certainly got one anyway.

Carol Kirkwood wowed viewers on Monday when she wore a stunning figure-hugging dress to report on the weather.READ: BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood leaves fans guessing as she teases exciting newsThe award-winning presenter took to Instagram to showcase the gorgeous dress, which had a pink and black floral pattern – the perfect combination as we head into spring.WATCH: Carol couldn't stop gushing over grumpy catFriends and fans of Carol were quick to comment on her look. One fan wrote: "Great springtime photo Carol!!" Another commented: "Good morning Carol – looking very lovely again today!!"MORE: BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood looks gorgeous in slinky dressRELATED: BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood looks gorgeous in slinky dressMore fans weighed in, with one replying, "Good morning to the best weather girl on tv" and another writing: "Beautiful as always." Alongside the complimentary messages were copious amounts of love heart emojis as well as lots of spring-themed ones too.A post shared by Carol Kirkwood (@carolkirkwood_bbc)Carol sharing her lovely springtime dress with followers on MondayIt appears even more compliments are in order as the wonderful weather presenter recently revealed the cover of her new book to her 34,500 followers, which is due to be released in July.The book titled, The Hotel on the Riviera, is the second novel Carol has written with her debut novel, Under a Greek Moon, becoming a Sunday Times bestseller.Captioning a photo of her holding the brand new cover, Carol wrote, "Here's the cover of my new book in all its glory! @harperfictionn The #hotelriviera is out in July.

EXCLUSIVE: Capstone has acquired the feature film rights to New York Times bestselling author James Swallow’s series of Marc Dane spy thriller novels, setting his Sunday Times bestseller, Nomad, as the first title to be adapted for the big screen.

Prince Andrew is being mocked by staff at Buckingham Palace who have made up their own version of an old nursery rhyme following his £12million court settlement, it is claimed.

Nadine Dorries’ views on the UK’s beleaguered national broadcasting corporation have been polarising since she was promoted to the role of Culture Secretary in September 2021, but in an interview with the Sunday Times, she emphasised her wish to protect the BBC into the future.

The next announcement about the BBC TV licence fee "will be the last", the Culture Secretary has said, amid reports it will be frozen for the next two years.

Primal Scream have hit out at the government’s new drug proposals which could result in middle-class users losing their passport and driving licence.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the plans, which are part of 10-year drugs strategy, that were announced today (December 6), will “come down tougher” on “lifestyle drug users”.Penalties being considered include confiscating passports, driving licences and larger fines to deter recreational drug users.Police officers will also be handed powers to go through drug dealers’ phones and contact their clients with warnings about drug use in a bid to spook them into changing their behaviour, according to The Guardian.It comes despite the Sunday Times reporting (via BBC News) that traces of

Salma Hayek is opening up about the aftermath of her 2017 op-ed for The New York Times about her experience with Harvey Weinstein.

Naman Ramachandran Discovery-backed channel GB News will launch June 13 in the U.K. with a special program “Welcome to GB News.”The channel will be available on Freeview channel 236, Sky HD, Virgin Media HD, YouView channel 236 and Freesat channel 216, besides mobile and online.GB News is backed by Discovery and several other mostly non-British based financiers to the tune of £60 million ($82 million).

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorRupert Murdoch’s News Corp said it reached a three-year partnership with Google under which it will provide news content from publications worldwide in return for “significant payments by Google.”Among the News Corp sites joining the Google News Showcase are the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and the New York Post; the U.K.’s the Times and Sunday Times and the Sun; and in Australia, publications including the Australian, news.com.au, Sky News, and multiple metropolitan and local titles.The deal comes after Google last month threatened to pull its search service out of Australia, following the government’s plans to enact legislation that would require tech platforms to pay for news.

Princess Diana's Panorama interview as BBC conducts an investigation. By way of a little background, Diana gave a candid interview with Panorama host Martin Bashir in November 1995—which BBC is investigating due to a recent Sunday Times report that Bashir created fake bank statements to manipulate Diana’s brother Spencer into helping negotiate the interview.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorThe BBC has responded to the story that’s the talk of the British TV industry: that the government is poised to appoint the right-wing Daily Telegraph columnist Charles Moore as the BBC’s next chairman.The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that it was a “done deal” that Moore would get the top job, even though the government is yet to launch a formal recruitment process for the role.The news shocked many industry watchers, given Moore has a history of being nakedly aggressive towards the BBC and was fined by a court in 2010 for failing to pay his licence fee.A Very English Scandal actor Hugh Grant described the prospect of Moore at the BBC, and former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre becoming the new

Jake Kanter International TV EditorBritain’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden has denied a report that the government has asked right-wing commentator Charles Moore and former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to fill two powerful UK media jobs.The Sunday Times reported that Moore has been tapped to be the next chair of the BBC, while Dacre is set to be installed as the new chair of UK media regulator Ofcom.The government is responsible for recruiting for both roles and the Sunday Times said prime minister Boris Johnson wants the pair, both ferocious critics of the BBC, to usher in a “revolution” in UK broadcasting.Senior government insiders told the newspaper that hiring Moore as a replacement for outgoing BBC chair David Clementi is a “done

hereThe Newsprinters presses publish the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp’s titles including The Sun, The Times, The Sun on Sunday and The Sunday Times, as well as The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard.Newsprinters condemned the protests as an “attack on all of the free press” which had affected workers going about their jobs and others such as newsagents who face “financial penalty”.The company said it had transferred printing to other sites, but that delays would occur in some deliveries of The Sun, The Times, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times.Hertfordshire Police said officers were called to Great Eastern Road near the Broxbourne plant around

The Sunday Times, BBC producers are currently in discussions about removing the two anthems from the setlist because of their perceived association with colonialism and slavery.The discussion comes in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been heightened in recent months following the death of George Floyd, an African American man who was killed in Minneapolis in May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.Dalia Stasevska, who is conducting this year’s Last Night Of The Proms, is keen to modernise the evening’s repertoire and reduce the patriotic elements.“Dalia is a big supporter of Black Lives Matter and thinks a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change,” a BBC

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "bonkers" for people to question her commitment to Scottish independence as she confirmed her intention to stand in next year's Holyrood election. The First Minister also stated she would serve another full term if elected in the 2021 vote for the Scottish Parliament.

Drew Barrymore is learning to make peace with her natural grey hair colour.