Behind the Scenes Buzz

AMC-BACKED VR DREAMSCAPE OPENS L.A. LOCATION: The virtual reality startup Dreamscape Immersive is set to open its first permanent location in L.A. The AMC-backed center will open in the Westfield Century Mall next month, and four more locations outside of L.A. will follow. Three experiences will be available: the company’s own “Alien Zoo” experience, a new original production called “Lavan’s Magic Projector: The Lost Pearl,” and a new experience co-produced with Venice, Calif.-based VR startup WEVR called “The Blu: Deep Rescue.”

MARGARET ATWOOD’S HANDMAID’S TALE GETTING SEQUEL TREATMENT: Margaret Atwood‘s vision of what happens to all of the characters in Handmaid’s Tale will be released in book form via The Testament. Doubleday and Anchor Books are publishing the novel on September 10^th, 2019. The sequel is not connected Hulu‘s hit TV adaptation of her 1985 novel, though rumblings are already afoot for another film or TV adaptation. “Dear Readers,” Atwood said in a statement included in the acquisition announcement from Doubleday and Anchor. “Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.”

FIRST WIVES CLUB REBOOT MOVING TO BET: The programming at Viacom is undergoing another game of musical chairs. In a move that surprised many, Tracy Oliver‘s First Wives Club reboot is moving from Paramount Network to sibling BET. The half-hour dramedy is based on the 1996 hit film starring Diane Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn. The reboot stars Jill Scott, Michelle Buteau and Ryan Michelle Bathe.

HUGH HEFNER ESTATE SALE IS ON: Fourteen months after he death, Playboy icon Hugh Hefner‘s belongings have hit the auction block. Proceeds will benefit his civil liberties foundation. A VIP showing at Julien‘s auction house kicked off Wednesday, with a public auction on November 30^th and December 1^st scheduled. The late 91-year-old’s daughter Christie Hefner and his widow Crystal will appear. Items include complete set of bound Playboy editions (estimated to draw up to $40,000), one of his iconic smoking jackets ($5,000), a pair of his silk pajamas ($2,000) and a 1946 coin-operated Wurlitzer jukebox that he programmed with two dozen original 78 rpm albums by artists like Artie Shaw, Johnny Mercer and Lena Horne ($20,000), according to The Hollywood Reporter.