The Christmas-themed Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time will be released in cinemas as well as broadcast on television, according to BBC Worldwide. The global distributor and partner Sharmill Films will put the annual Christmas episode of Doctor Who in cinemas on Boxing Day; the episode is significant because it flags the final appearance of actor Peter Capaldi and the debut of his replacement, the first female Doctor in the show's history, actress Jodie Whittaker. The episode will also guest star Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) and David Bradley (Game of Thrones). Information on participating cinemas and tickets can be found at sharmillfilms.com.au.
Veep delayed
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Production on the final season of Veep will be planned to accommodate the schedule of its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is undergoing treatment for cancer. The show's executive producer Frank Rich this week noted that the show's planned filming would be delayed. "We're obviously postponing production of the show while [Julia] is in treatment," he said. "The expectation is that we will shoot again. We have one more season we're doing, which we're incredibly excited about." Rich noted that Louis-Dreyfus had attended the first table read of the final season's scripts. "It's been quite something because she's fighting a serious illness and yet wants to keep working as much as circumstances allow."
LOTR to TV
Amazon has signed off on a television adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, the iconic novel series by J.R.R. Tolkien. Though the price tag is sitting at upwards of $US250 million, whether the series becomes the most expensive in history - a mantle currently worn by Netflix's The Crown - will depend on how much of that price tag goes into the Tolkien estate's back pocket rather than onto the screen. The deal includes up to five seasons and a potential spin-off. Competition in the streaming space is heating up in the wake of Disney's confirmation it will put a flagship Star Wars television series onto its streaming platform when it launches.
Heists and stings
The cable channel FX is adapting Gimlet Media's documentary podcast Crimetown, about organised crime and municipal corruption in Providence, Rhode Island, for television. The scripted drama based on the podcast will be written by The Jinx creators Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier; The Jinx was HBO's critically acclaimed true crime documentary about accused murderer Robert Durst. Crimetown is described as "a story of alliances and betrayals, of heists and stings, of crooked cops and honest mobsters: where it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys".
