‘Heated Rivalry’ creator Jacob Tierney sets new Alexander the Great series at Netflix
Jacob Tierney poses backstage at ‘Hadestown’ on Broadway at The Walter Kerr Theatre on March 1, 2026, in New York City. (Bruce Glikas/WireImage via Getty Images)
A brand-new show is about to heat up at Netflix.
Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney is set to write, direct and executive produce a new series about Alexander the Great for the streamer.
The dramatic series, which is called Alexander, has received a straight-to-series order. It will be a period piece that explores the little-known story of Alexander the Great and his tutor, Aristotle, during the military commander’s relentless quest for dominance.
This new show will be based on Annabel Lyon’s novel The Golden Mean. It starts “as the Athenian empire is crumbling and the world’s greatest mind, Aristotle, arrives in Macedonia to tutor a volatile young prince, Alexander,” according to a description from Netflix. “Amid palace intrigue, forbidden love, brutal war and ruthless ambitions, their unlikely friendship shapes an empire and alters the course of history.”
Jason Bateman will executive produce the show along with Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films. Heated Rivalry‘s Brendan Brady will also executive produce.
Tierney says he fell in love with Lyon’s book years ago, and he’s “been dreaming of telling this story ever since.”
“Brendan and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Aggregate and Netflix to bring this insanely compelling world to life,” Tierney continued.
Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series, said, “Jacob Tierney is one of the most exciting, in-demand creative voices working today, and we are thrilled to work with him on Alexander.”
Howe continued, “We were immediately captivated by his vision for adapting Annabel Lyon’s acclaimed novel. This series reimagines the classic power struggle between mentor and protégé with a raw, modern energy that feels both epic and incredibly intimate.”
Chris Evans attends the premiere of ‘Sacrifice’ during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on Sept. 6, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
The latest batch of Oscars presenters has been revealed.
Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph will take to the Oscars stage to present awards at this year’s ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday.
They join the previously announced presenters Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña, who all return to the awards ceremony after winning Oscars last year.
The producers for the Oscars will continue announcing the talent who will present at the show throughout the coming weeks, they announced.
Conan O’Brien will host the awards ceremony for the second time, while Raj Kapoor serves as executive producer and showrunner and Katy Mullan executive produces.
The 98th Oscars will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. It show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.
Actor Robert Duvall poses for a portrait during the 87th Academy Awards nominee luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Feb. 2, 2015 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Jeff Vespa/Getty Images)
Robert Duvall, the Academy Award-winning actor known for roles in some of American cinema’s greatest films, including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has died at age 95.
“Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort,” read a statement posted on the actor’s official Facebook page by his wife, Luciana.
A statement from Duvall’s representative confirmed the actor’s death, reading in part, “Academy Award winning actor Robert Selden Duvall passed away peacefully in his home in Middleburg, Virginia, the evening of Sunday, February 15, 2026, with his wife Luciana Duvall by his side. He was 95.”
Duvall brought a signature naturalism to the roles he played, an unmannered style that infused his myriad characters with a calm intensity – a counterpoint to his self-confessed often hot-tempered on-set disposition – and earned him a reputation as one of his generation’s finest actors. Beginning with his memorable film debut as Boo Radley in 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird, in which he didn’t utter a word, Robert Duvall went on to appear in more than 90 films over the next seven decades, working with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated filmmakers and performers.
Duvall shared the screen as the outlaw Ned Pepper opposite John Wayne in 1969’s True Grit, originated the role of Maj. Frank Burns in Robert Altman’s 1970 dark comedy M*A*S*H, and starred in the title role in Star Wars creator George Lucas’ 1971 directorial debut, THX 1138. Duvall also played Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and The Godfather Part II opposite his acting hero, Marlon Brando, and had a pivotal role as the ruthless network VP Frank Hackett in the acclaimed 1976 media satire Network.
As the shirtless, cowboy hat-wearing Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now, Duvall delivered the film’s most oft-quoted line: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Four years later, Duvall won the Academy Award for best actor for playing Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music star attempting to make amends, in Tender Mercies.
Other career highlights included playing cynical sportswriter Max Murphy in the 1984 Robert Redford baseball fable The Natural; NASCAR crew chief Harry Hogge opposite Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the 1990 action hit Days of Thunder; Sgt. Martin Prendergast, the retiring LAPD officer who spends his final day on the job pursuing Michael Douglas’ unhinged character in 1993’s Falling Down; and a criminal court judge accused of murder who’s defended by his estranged son, played by Robert Downey Jr., in the 2014 legal drama The Judge.
Of all his many celebrated acting roles, however, Duvall repeatedly said his favorite was that of retired Texas Ranger Augustus “Gus” McCrae in the 1989 TV Western miniseries Lonesome Dove. The series was one of several TV projects in which Duvall starred. Others included playing the title role in 1992’s HBO film drama Stalin, for which he won a Golden Globe – his fourth lifetime win – and the 2006 AMC Western miniseries Broken Trail, which earned Duvall a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor, in addition to another for producing the series.
In total, Duvall was nominated for seven Academy Awards, the final three for his performances in 1997’s The Apostle, which he also wrote and directed; 1998’s A Civil Action, co-starring with John Travolta as a corrupt corporate attorney; and 2014’s The Judge. His nomination for The Judge, at age 84, then made him the oldest actor ever nominated in the best supporting actor category, until Christopher Plummer, at age 86, was nominated three years later for All the Money in the World.
Other notable later films in which Duvall appeared include The Handmaid’s Tale in 1990, 1996’s Sling Blade, 1998’s sci-fi action thriller Deep Impact, Crazy Heart in 2009 – this time with Jeff Bridges playing a down-on-his luck country singer – and as a shooting range owner in the 2012 Tom Cruise hit Jack Reacher.
In addition to his Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe wins, Robert Duvall won a BAFTA and a Screen Actors Guild Award, the former for Apocalypse Now and the latter for A Civil Action, as well as dozens of other critical and popular award nominations and wins. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts by then-President George W. Bush in 2005.
Duvall was married four times, most recently in 2005 to Luciana Pedraza, who survives him. He had no children.
Olly Sholotan and Jabari Banks in season 4 of ‘Bel-Air’ (Peacock)
Jabari Banks and Olly Sholotan have portrayed Will Smith and Carlton Banks for four seasons of Bel-Air, and it hasn’t been without its lesson. With Will’s confidence and unique sense of style, Jabari says he’s learned from his character to be unapologetically himself.
“I’ve definitely learned the importance of being yourself in any room that you step into, and being authentic and showing up as yourself because naturally I’m people pleaser,” he tells ABC Audio, noting that sometimes you have to ruffle some feathers. “Will was never scared to do that,” Jabari says of his character. “I’ve definitely taken that part of Will and added it to my repertoire.”
Olly says playing Carlton has made him “a much more compassionate person.”
“I’m a lot more empathetic. I’m a lot more patient,” he shares. “Playing a character that has been through so much struggle and is going through so much struggle just kind of makes you stop and realize that everyone’s dealing with battles that you don’t necessarily know.” He adds that he’s also noticed he’s a “very emotional person,” though he’s uncertain whether “the show has done it to me or if I’ve just always been this way.”
With Bel-Air coming to an end, Olly says he’ll miss the cast, which he calls “the most talented artists in the world.”
“I’ve got to spend four incredible seasons working with all of them every single day, right, and the show is its cast, and it’s that incredible cast that’s gotten us to four seasons,” he says. “I’ll miss these guys forever.”
As for Jabari, he’ll miss the feeling of walking on set and seeing his fellow cast members — plus the great food from the show’s craft service. “We always had a great breakfast,” he shares.
