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Britain's ITV Says 'No Current Plans' for Another 'X Factor' Series

FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
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Britain's ITV Says 'No Current Plans' for Another 'X Factor' Series

FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall
FILE PHOTO: Television mogul Simon Cowell poses for photographers as he arrives for the film "One Direction: This is Us", in London August 20, 2013. REUTERS/Neil Hall

British broadcaster ITV said it has “no current plans” for another series of music talent show “The X Factor”.

The singing competition, created by British music mogul and television personality Simon Cowell, debuted on UK screens in 2004 and kick-started the careers of chart toppers such as Leona Lewis, One Direction and Little Mix.

Its last series aired in 2018 before going on hiatus.

“There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage,” an ITV spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

Once hugely popular, the UK show has seen ratings fall over the years.

Newspaper The Sun reported late on Wednesday Cowell was axing the series “for at least five years”.

The show, in which aspiring singers aim to win a recording contract and are mentored by celebrity judges, has been exported around the world and has had various spin-offs, including a celebrity version in 2019.

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Josh Hartnett Takes on Challenge Playing Serial Killer in 'Trap'

Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
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Josh Hartnett Takes on Challenge Playing Serial Killer in 'Trap'

Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Josh Hartnett says his role as a shrewd serial killer in filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's new movie "Trap" marks a departure for him as an actor.
"It's unlike anything else I've played," Hartnett, who has starred in films such as "Black Hawk Down", "Lucky Number Slevin", "Pearl Harbor" and "The Virgin Suicides", said at the London premiere of "Trap" on Monday.
"Honestly, taking on this character wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Night, because if you're going to take on something this wild and this out there, you need somebody who you really trust behind the camera," Reuters quoted the American actor as saying.
"And another thing is, I just always like a challenge."
In "Trap" Hartnett plays Cooper, who takes his teenage daughter to a pop concert that turns out to be an elaborate police entrapment operation set up to catch a serial killer - who turns out to be Cooper. The psychological thriller was written, directed and produced by Shyamalan, who is known for his unique plot twists.
"I try to create something really hyper original in the marketplace so I can compete," said Shyamalan, whose credits include "The Sixth Sense", "Signs" and "Split".
That originality means the work "sticks with you. The idea here was like a concert and a thriller together."
Getting into the mindset of the character involved reading about psychopathy and sociopathy and long discussions with Shyamalan about the tone they wanted the character and the movie to take, Hartnett said.
The result was another career high point, said Hartnett, 46, who started acting in the late 1990s and whose recent work includes roles in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man" as well as parts in TV series "Black Mirror" and "The Bear".
"Trap" is out in cinemas globally in August.