Aaron Carter sitcom about mental health to be completed in his memory

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Carter's final project will move forward in his memory, writer-director Brian Farmer announced Tuesday.

According to Deadline, Carter's management team has given Farmer and his team permission to complete "Group" — an independent sitcom about mental health and group therapy — after the singer was found dead last week at his home in Lancaster. Carter was set to star in the show as a fictionalized version of himself.

"I was heartbroken to hear the shocking news about Aaron on Saturday," Farmer said in a statement obtained by Deadline.

"Aaron was so excited about the show and helping raise awareness for mental health, a topic he was very passionate about. He said being a part of the show gave him something positive to work toward, and I'll forever cherish that."

After it wraps production, the series will be shopped to TV networks, Deadline reports. Rounding out the main cast are Samm Levine, Olive Chiacchia, Ari Stidham, Ashley Brinkman, Kevin Clayette, Abdoulaye NGom, Anne Judson-Yager and Mike Starr.

On Monday, the Los Angeles County coroner's office performed an autopsy on Carter and deferred the cause of death pending chemical tests. In a statement, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys blamed "addiction and mental illness" for the loss of his "baby brother."

The former child star had been vocal about his struggles with substance use, as well as various mental health conditions — including personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression.

"He was such a kind soul and a pleasure to work with, and he will be dearly missed by everyone who was a part of 'Group' and countless others," Farmer said. "My heart goes out to his family and friends."

Snoop Dogg biopic is in development with Universal Pictures

NEW YORK — Snoop Dogg is getting a big-screen biopic.

Universal Pictures announced Wednesday that the studio is developing a film about Snoop Dogg's life to be produced by the 51-year-old rapper. The film will be written by Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote the two “Black Panther” films, and directed by Allen Hughes, the filmmaker of “Menace II Society.”

“I waited a long time to put this project together because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand the legacy that I’m trying to portray on screen, and the memory I’m trying to leave behind," Snoop said in a statement. "It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”

Universal previously turned the story of rap group N.W.A. into the hit 2015 film “Straight Outta Compton" and also released the acclaimed Eminem biopic “8 Mile” in 2002. Cole said the studio “has proven they can guide a movie like this to something special.”

Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, said she met with Snoop shortly after he acquired Death Row Records. His acquisition was announced just days before Snoop performed in the Super Bowl halftime show in February with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Snoop Dogg broke through in the early ‘90s as part of the West Coast rap scene as a collaborator of Dr. Dre’s. He's sold more than 35 million albums worldwide in his three-decade career. He'll produce the film along with Sara Ramaker and Hughes.

Sean Penn loans Oscar to Zelenskyy until Ukraine wins war

KYIV, Ukraine — Actor Sean Penn, who is making a documentary about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has loaned one of his two Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and told him: “When you win, bring it back to Malibu.”

Zelenskyy’s office on Wednesday released the video of the encounter during Penn’s most recent visit to Ukraine, his third since the Feb. 24 start of the war. The president tweeted that the Oscar was “a symbol of faith in the victory of our country.”

Penn, who has been involved in numerous international humanitarian and anti-war efforts over the years, told Zelenskyy that every time he leaves Ukraine “I feel like a traitor.”

“But if I know this is here with you then I will feel better and stronger for the fights,” Penn said as he pulled the statuette from a black bag and placed it on a table in front of Zelenskyy. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu. Because I feel much better knowing there is a piece of me here.”

Zelenskyy at first hesitated about accepting the statue, then quipped: “We have to win, quick.”

It wasn’t clear when the encounter occurred or which Oscar Penn left behind: Penn has won two best actor Academy Awards, in 2003 for “Mystic River” and in 2008 for “Milk.”

His publicist didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking details Wednesday.

Penn was one of the first people who visited Ukraine after Russian troops moved into the country and he has been working on a documentary about the invasion.

During their meeting, Zelenskyy presented Penn with an award, the Ukrainian Order of Merit, which is given to citizens for outstanding achievements in economics, science, culture, or military or political activity. Established by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma in 1996, the award’s past recipients include Ukrainian academics and writers, as well as Soviet-era military commanders.

The video released by the president’s office then showed Penn and Zelenskyy walking around Kyiv and arriving at Constitution Square, across from the Ukrainian parliament building and presidential palace, where there is a “Walk of the Brave” — a walkway lined with plaques honoring world leaders who have shown solidarity with Ukraine. The walkway, which was inaugurated in August, features a square plaque laid in the ground engraved with Penn’s name and the date Feb. 24, 2022, the start of the invasion.

Pointing to the plaque, Penn told Zelenskyy that there were three places in the world that were the source of his pride: "The place where my daughter was born, the place where my son was born and this. Thank you.”