Streaming Round-Up (2/10/21): HBO Max Re-Opens Woody Allen Sex Scandal, Obamas Prep New Netflix Slate
Filmmaker Woody Allen was never charged with molesting his adopted daughter Dylan in the early 1990s, though she continues to insist the charges are true. Now, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, filmmakers behind the Russell Simmons exposé “On the Record,” use new interviews and archival material in a four-part HBO Max documentary “Allen v. Farrow” to reopen the scandalous case. The series debuts Feb. 21.
Allen left Farrow, the mother of his three children, for her 19-year-old adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, when he was 57. “Allen v. Farrow” offers new videos, audio tapes, home movies, court documents, police evidence and in-depth interviews to posit a more complete picture of the events.
Here’s a look at other deals and upcoming projects:
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Michelle Obama will be launching a new kid’s cooking show on Netflix called “Waffles + Mochi” on March 16, which will be “all about good food: discovering it, cooking it, and of course, eating it.”
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The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground, has a slew of new projects for Netflix — film and TV. They include a film adaptation of the novel “Exit West” and a biopic on Tenzing Norgay, the first person to reach the peak of Mount Everest alongside Sir Edmund Hillary. Also upcoming is a docuseries on the U.S. National Parks and the adaptation of the YA book “Firekeeper’s Daughter,” publishing this spring, about an 18-year-old girl on the Ojibwe reservation.
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“Beast Beast,” a 2020 Sundance Selection, will stream free on Tubi Feb. 12. It was written and directed by Danny Madden (Krista) and executive produced by Alec Baldwin. “Beast Beast” stars Shirley Chen Will Madden, Jose Angeles, Courtney Dietz and Daniel Rashid. The movie chronicles the lives and trauma surrounding three people living in a Southern town. “Beast Beast” joins Tubi’s library of 30,000 movies and television shows. In addition, Tubi and Fox have teamed for Free Like Tubi Week, a weeklong multiplatform program this week.
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“Jane,” a new live action-CGI kids series, has been ordered by Apple TV+. The streamer is working with J.J. Johnson, Sinking Ship Entertainment and the Jane Goodall Institute. The series is about 10-year-old Jane Garcia who tries to protect an endangered animal in each episode. “Television programs that enrich and inspire, as well as entertain, can give children hope and motivate them and their families,” said primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.
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“The Best Man: Final Chapters” is now a 10-episode Peacock dramedy series order, written and executive produced by Malcolm D. Lee and Dayna Lynne North. The original film will return as a TV reboot, looking at the characters as they enter middle age. The cast includes Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. In 2013, the “Best Man Holiday” sequel was released.
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The YA novel “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has been greenlit by Amazon Prime Video for an eight-episode series. The multi-generational drama by Jenny Han is about a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, as well as the ongoing relationship between mothers and children, all encapsulated in one summer.