Fauci, Disney+’s documentary from National Geographic Films about world-renowned infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, premieres Oct. 6. Fauci has overseen the U.S. response to 40 years’ worth of outbreaks, including HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola. Fauci delivers a rare glimpse into the career and personal life of the public servant, who faced his biggest test: a pandemic unmatched in modern history. He has also faced attacks from adversaries eager to weaponize public health.
Here are additional deals and projects announced this week:
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Cruel Intentions is being developed as a series by IMDb TV. The project, based on the 1999 movie, will be written by Sara Goodman and Phoebe Fisher. The description, according to the streamer: “Two ruthless step-siblings will do anything to stay on top. In this case, it’s the Greek life hierarchy at an elite Washington, D.C., college. After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Panhellenic system, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputations — even seduce the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.”
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Emmy winner Dave Chappelle just returned to Netflix for a comedy special “The Closer.” It’s billed as “the sixth chapter,” in the comedian’s specials, which include “The Age Of Spin,” “Deep In The Heart Of Texas,” “Equanimity,” “The Bird Revelation” and “ Sticks & Stones.” Stan Lathan returns as director; he’s directed all of Chappelle’s Netflix specials.
Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming service that gives access to thousands of full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, kids shows, and Hulu Originals like “Only Murders in the Building,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
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Washington Black has been greenlit by Hulu, based on the novel of the same name. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) will star and executive produce. The nine-episode series is about an 11-year-old Barbadian boy and his adventures in the 19th Century. Brown plays Medwin Harris, who traveled the world after a traumatic childhood and becomes the de facto Mayor of Black Halifax in Nova Scotia. Washington Black, his protégé, has a profound effect on Harris.
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Hit anime series Jujutsu Kaisen is now available on Funimation in the U.S., Canada, U.K. Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, as well in Latin America and French-, German- and Russian-speaking Europe on Funimation’s Wakanim streaming service. All 24 episodes will be available in subtitled and dubbed versions. The anime is based on the best-selling manga of the same title, which has sold more than 55 million copies in Japan. In the U.S., the series is published by VIZ Media. The streamer is also offering all 26 episodes of the animated Cowboy Bebop series ahead of the premiere of the Netflix live-action series premiere in mid-November.
Funimation
Funimation is a streaming service focused on Japanese animation. Funimation is likely to die out in time - many of the site’s pages redirect to its sister service, Crunchyroll. While Funimation continues to add new episodes of its current series, all future anime series will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll. Funimation does still serve anime fans with shows like “My Hero Academia,” “One-Punch Man,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
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Frndly TV is streaming (Hallmark Movies Now) video-on-demand service as a subscriber add-on. It joins Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama — as part of Frndly’s core $5.99 a month package. The Hallmark Movies Now offer is available for an additional $5.99 a month. The ad-free Hallmark Movies Now is also available on Comcast’s X1, Cox’s Contour, and YouTube TV.
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The Prison Breaker just dropped on discovery+, chronicling the true story of a legendary escape artist, Richard Lee McNair. He is assumed to be the only person ever to have broken out of jail, state penitentiary, and federal penitentiary, this four-hour documentary exposes the master of deception and gives insight into how he did the impossible.
discovery+
discovery+ is a video streaming service that offers more than 70,000 episodes of 2,500+ current and classic shows from several popular TV brands including Discovery, Investigation Discovery, HGTV, TLC, Food Network, A&E, Lifetime, and History.