Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Disney+ has given High School Musical: The Musical: The Series a 3rd season order. (TV Line)

Hulu has given a second season order to Only Murders in the Building. (Press Release)

HBO Max has cancelled the teen dramedy Generation after only one season. (TV Line)

The Outpost has been cancelled. It will air its series finale on The CW, after 4 seasons on the air, on October 7. (TV Line)

ANIME NEWS

Hayley Atwell (Marvel’s Agent Carter and the Avengers/Captain America franchise) will provide the voice of Lara Croft in the Netflix upcoming anime series Tomb Raider. The story will pick up after the events of the Tomb Raider video-game reboot trilogy, charting a new adventure for the globetrotting Lara Croft 25 years after her first game launched. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) has joined the cast of the Netflix upcoming Wednesday Addams-centric series that will simply be called Wednesday. Jenna Ortega (Jane the Virgin) will star as the lead character with Catherine Zeta-Jones as her mother Morticia. Christie will play Larissa Weems, the principal of Nevermore Academy who still has an axe to grind with her former classmate Morticia. (TV Line)

Tom Welling (Smallville) is coming back to The CW (nee The WB) in the newly acquired series Professionals, an international action series that follows Vincent Corbo (Welling), a top-tier security operative, who is paid to protect the interests of rich and powerful clients by any means necessary – legal or not. After a next-gen medical satellite explodes on launch, Corbo is hired by the rocket’s designer, billionaire futurist Peter Swann (Brendan Fraser from Doom Patrol and The Mummy movie franchise), who suspects sabotage. Complicating Corbo’s new gig is his former paramour and now Swann’s fiancée, medical visionary Dr. Grace Davila (Elena Anaya from Wonder Woman), who is racing to help stave off a global catastrophe. A date and time for the show’s premiere on The CW will be announced later. (TV Line)

Elisabeth Shue (The Boys and Cobra Kai) has joined the cast of the upcoming Showtime anthology series Super Pumped. The first season is set to focus on the rise of the ride sharing app Uber that already boasts cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishé and Hank Azaria [among others]. Shue will play Bonnie Kalanick, the mother of Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick (Gordon-Levitt), who is the one person he can always count on for wisdom and truth. (Variety)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is getting a dramatic reboot entitled Bel-Air at Peacock; and the main cast has been announced. Newcomer Jabari Banks will star as Will; Adrian Holmes (V Wars) as Phillip Banks; Cassandra Freeman (Atlanta) as Vivian Banks; Olly Sholotan (Run Hide Fight) as Carlton Banks; Coco Jones (Let it Shine) as Hilary Banks; Akira Akbar (Captain Marvel) as Ashley Banks; Jimmy Akingbola (Most Dangerous Game) as Geoffrey; Jordan L. Jones (Rel and Snowfall) as Jazz; and Simone Joy Jones (The Chair) as Lisa. The show will be a serialized one-hour dramatic analogue following Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. Peacock gave the show a two-season order in September of 2020. (Variety)

Emily Deschanel (Bones) will star in the upcoming Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio based on the book by Daria Polatin, which is inspired by a true story. It will focus on what happens when hospital psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis shelters a mysterious cult escapee. Her world is turned upside down as the strange girl’s arrival threatens to tear her own family apart. Other cast members include Sam Jaeger (Parenthood and Why Women Kill) and Madeleine Arthur (The Magicians and Snowpiercer) [among others]. (Variety)

Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) will have the lead role in the live-action series Twisted Metal, based on the vehicular combat game, which is currently in the works at Sony Pictures Television. The show is about motor-mouthed outsider John Doe (Mackie) who is offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown named who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck, whom fans of the game will know as Sweet Tooth. (Variety)

Malachi Kirby (the 2016 version of Roots) will star in the series adaptation of the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel Anansi Boys planned at Netflix. Kirby will play the dual lead roles of both Charlie Nancy and his brother, Spider. The series follows Charlie, a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father, Mr. Nancy (Delroy Lindo). But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that his father was Anansi: trickster god of stories. And he learns that he has a brother. Now his brother, Spider, is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting but making it a lot more dangerous. (Variety)

Eric McCormack (Travelers and Will & Grace) has joined the 3rd season of the thriller drama series Departure, which stars Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) and Kris Holden-Ried (Lost Girl and The Umbrella Academy). Other new cast members include Jake Weber (Medium) and Patrick Sabongui (Homeland, Arrow and Virgin River). (Deadline)

Mathew Fox (Lost and Party of Five) will star alongside Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt in the action-packed mini-series thriller Last Light that is being adapted from the best-selling novel by Alex Scarrow. The dystopian will center around a family whose lives are changed forever when oil supplies get contaminated by an infectious agent, causing society to implode in the face of global disaster. The cast will include several up-and-coming actors. (Variety)

FILM NEWS

Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon! and Prom) will star alongside Timothee Chalamet (Dune) in the musical based box office film Wonka, which will be based on the early life of Willy Wonka. Key’s role is being kept under wraps but Chalamet will play the title character. (Variety)

Cynthia Erivo (Harriet and Genius: Aretha) will star alongside Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) in the upcoming Netflix film that will be the continuing story of Luther (Idris Elba). It is unclear who Erivo and Serkis will play in the film. (Deadline)

Frank Grillo (the Avengers franchise) will star as Ferruccio Lamborghini – taking over the role from Antonio Banderas. The film will cover Lamborghini’s entire life, from when he got his start making tractors to his moves into military cars during World War II and into his luxury supercar days. It will also delve into his personal life and romantic relationships, as well as his rivalry with Enzo Ferrari. (Yahoo Entertainment)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for the past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

The BET+ original FIRST WIVES CLUB has been renewed for a third season. (Press Release)

Freeform has renewed Good Trouble for a 4th season. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Paramount + has given a third season renewal to Star Trek: Picard. (The Hollywood Reporter)

HBO Max has given a second season renewal to the reboot of Gossip Girl. (TV Line)

It looks like there will be no future whatsoever for the CBS drama Clarice. The drama was cancelled by the network, but it was looking like Paramount Plus was going to continue with the show, but negotiations have reached a stalemate so the series will not be coming back at all. (Deadline)

COMING BACK

We already know that Manifest will be back for a 4th season after all, airing on Netflix since it was cancelled by NBC this summer. The additional good news is that cast members Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh, J.R. Ramirez, Parveen Kaur, Luna Blaise and Holly Taylor will return for the fourth and final season. In addition, Ty Doran will take over the role of Cal Stone; Matt Long will also be back and Daryl Edwards, who has recurred as NSA Director Robert Vance since the pilot episode, has been promoted to series regular. (The Futon Critic, Deadline and Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Brian Tee (Chicago Med) will star opposite Nicole Kidman in the upcoming Amazon series Expats, based on the Janice Y.K. Lee novel The Expatriates, that will be set against the fabric of Hong Kong, telling the story of an international community whose lives are bound together forever after a sudden family tragedy. It revolves around three women, Mercy (Ji-young Yoo), Margaret (Kidman) and Hilary (Sarayu Blue). (Deadline)

David Oyelowo (The Water Man) will star in the Taylor Sheridan (the man behind Yellowstone) limited series Bass Reeves, which is about the legendary lawman of the wild West, who worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded. (Deadline)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has exited the Amazon small screen adaptation of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It’s being reported that she left due to creative differences with fellow star and executive producer Donald Glover (Community). The role will be re-cast. (Variety)

Matt Bomer (White Collar and Doom Patrol) will executive produce and star in a series adaptation of the novel Fellow Travelers by author Thomas Mallon that is in development at Showtime. The series is described as a political thriller and epic love story that unfolds in the era of McCarthyism and resolves in the age of AIDS. It follows the intertwined lives and volatile romance of two very different men, Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Bomer) and Tim Kovacs, through purges, wars, protests, and plagues, overcoming obstacles in the world and in themselves. (Variety)

Abigail Spencer (Timeless and Rebel) will be back on Grey’s Anatomy, recurring as Dr. Megan Hunt starting with the season premiere of the show’s upcoming 18th season. (TV Line)

FOX will debut the new drama Monarch during mid-season, and will star Susan Sarandon, country artist Trace Adkins and Anna Friel. The series is about the Romans who are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, Albie (Adkins), Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown Nicolette “Nicky” Roman (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom. Also musician Beth Ditto will play the Roman’s younger daughter Gigi. The show will debut on January 30 after the NFC Championship game and then will air its second episode on February 1. (Variety and The Futon Critic)

David Tennant (Doctor Who) will star in the Peacock drama Hide, that is being billed as a Jekyll & Hyde tale by way of a conspiracy thriller about a disgraced journalist (Tennant) who stumbles upon a story that could resurrect his career. But he quickly learns he’s seen something he shouldn’t have, and is now the target of unknown adversaries who will do anything to silence him. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Patrick J. Adams (Suits) has landed a recurring role in the Amazon adaptation of A League Of Their Own where he will play Charlie, Carson’s (Abbi Jacobson from Broad City) handsome, midwestern husband, on his way home soon from fighting overseas during WWII. He’s eager to return to a life back home with his wife. (Deadline)

Australian Lucy Barrett (Neighbours and Bloom) has joined the cast of Charmed on The CW, taking over for the departing Madeleine Mantock. The executive producers have not revealed what her character’s name, backstory, powers or connection to the other girls just yet, but her character is being described as an artist, with a wild, unpredictable love for life and a one-of-a-kind view of the world that serves her well in her art, which is her life’s passion. She’s fun, irreverent, impulsive, strong-willed, and will bring brand-new energy to the Power of Three. (Variety)

Billy Bob Thornton will guest star in the Yellowstone prequel series 1883, which will air on Paramount Plus. The series will follow the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. Thornton will appear in the guest star role of Marshal Jim Courtright. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL/CANCELLATIONS

The John Stamos Disney+ series Big Shot was renewed for a second season. (TV Line)

The CW has pulled the plug on the new drama The Republic of Sarah before its first season has finished its debut season. The September 6 finale will serve as the series finale. (TV Line)

SERIES PICK-UP NEWS

The CW has given a series order to the Nancy Drew spin-off Tom Swift that will focus on the billionaire inventor (played by Tian Richards), who was introduced in an episode of Nancy Drew that aired in May. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The series The Girls on the Bus, based on the best-selling book “Chasing Hillary” by Amy Chozick from Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti, which is in development, has moved from Netflix to The CW. The story chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way. (The Hollywood Reporter and Variety)

It looks like the groundbreaking family drama Life Goes On could be getting a revival with original cast members Kellie Martin and Chad Lowe in tow. The series will be shopped to the networks and streamer soon, and if picked up would revisit Martin’s grown-up Becca, who is now a doctor, as she returns to her hometown and reconnects with her family. (TV Line and Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It looks like Jungle Cruise 2 is going to happen with original stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt set to return. (The Hollywood Reporter and Bleeding Cool)

Judith Light will star alongside Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) and Ralph Fiennes in the upcoming box office dark comedy The Menu that will follow a young couple who travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu — and some shocking surprises. The cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo and Janet McTeer. (Variety)

Killing Eve alum and current Free Guy co-star Jodie Comer will star in the upcoming Ridley Scott box office film Kitbag. Comer will play Josephine opposite Joaquin Phoenix, who will play Napoleon Bonaparte in the historical drama about the military leader and emperor. (Variety)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Jane Krakowski has joined the cast of the upcoming NBC event Annie Live! She will play Lily St. Regis. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

J. August Richards (Angel) will star in the small screen adaptation of Vampire Academy based on the paranormal romance novels by Richelle Mead. The show comes from executive producer Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Legacies) and her long-time collaborator Marguerite MacIntyre. The show will also include a bevy of fresh faces. (TV Line)

Bridget Regan (Agent Carter and The Last Ship) will have a recurring role in season 3 of Batwoman, playing Poison Ivy, a.k.a Pamela Isley, a former botany student of Gotham University. (Variety)

Emily VanCamp is leaving the FOX medical drama The Resident ahead of its season 5 premiere; and while the circumstances behind her leaving the series have not been made clear, VanCamp and real-life husband Josh Bowman recently had a baby. (TV Line)

Dave Annable (Brothers and Sisters) will appear in the 2nd season of Walker in the recurring role of Dan Miller, the wife of Denise Davidson, the rival family of the Walker family. (Deadline)

Annie Wersching (24, Timeless and Runaways) will recur in the second season of Star Trek: Picard, playing the Borg Queen. (TV Line)

Kate Walsh will be reprising her role of Addison Forbes Montgomery in multiple episodes of the upcoming 18th season of Grey’s Anatomy. (TV Line)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will find two series regulars gone in the season 23 premiere. Jamie Gray Hyder and Demore Barnes will be departing as detective Kat Tamin and deputy chief Christian Garland respectively. (TV Line and Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Freeform has renewed Motherland: Fort Salem for its third and final season. (TV Line)

Your Honor has been renewed for a second season with Bryan Cranston set to return in 2022. (TV Line)

Cobra Kai has been renewed for a 5th season by Netflix, months before season 4 is even set to premiere. (TV Line)

Ten weeks after it got cancelled by NBC, Manifest has been picked up for a 4th and final season that will consist of 20 episodes (more episodes than any season of the series). (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

The CW series Kung Fu has made Yvonne Chapman, who played villainous Zhilan, as a series regular for season 2. (Deadline and TV Line)

Tony Curran (Defiance and Doctor Who [he played Vincent Van Gogh]) will play the newest villain – Despero, a powerful and intelligent alien – in the upcoming Arrowverse 5-part ‘Amageddon’ crossover event that finds Barry Allen [aka The Flash] (Grant Gustin) and his crime-fighting friends calling on fellow DC superheroes Black Lightning (Cress Williams) and Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) for help. (Entertainment Weekly and Digital Spy)

Chantal Thuy (Black Lightning) has joined “the mix” for season 4 of Magnum P.I, playing Lia Kaleo, a smart, street-savvy Hawai’i Police Detective who has been secretly dating Magnum behind everyone’s back, including her partner, Gordon Katsumoto (Tim Kang). And as the season progresses, we’ll learn that Lia’s relationship with Magnum isn’t the only secret she’s been keeping. (TV Line)

The former Quibi drama Most Dangerous Game will return for a second season at Roku Channel with Christoph Waltz back as Miles Sellers, the CEO of The Tiro Fund, a front for a centuries old game in which hunters pay exorbitant fees for the privilege of hunting the most cunning and dangerous prey there is. Liam Hemsworth won’t be back; but David Castaneda (The Umbrella Academy) will step in to play Victor Suero, a down-on-his-luck fighter who will do anything to protect his sister. When he learns she’s in trouble, he springs into action. To protect her, he agrees to participate in a deadly game. If he survives, he’ll make a fortune. Out of love for his sister – he’s determined to live. The new season will retain the short-form format that the show had in Season 1. (Variety)

Brandon Routh (Legends of Tomorrow) has landed the lead role in the animated Netflix production of Magic: The Gathering, based on the Dey Rey Books novel of the same name that finds Planeswalkers Gideon Jura and Jace Beleren adventuring together as they right wrongs across the multiverse. But with very different insights into what they witness, it is safe to say that the partnership is under quite a bit of strain. Plot details are being kept under wraps though. (Variety)

More cast members have been added to the Yellowstone prequel 1883 that already boasts Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott in lead roles. Isabel May (Netflix’s Alexa and Katie and Young Sheldon) will play Elsa, the eldest daughter of John and Margaret Dutton (McGraw and Hill). Through her eyes will come much of the perspective of the family’s struggle when they up and leave Texas aboard a wagon train caravan into hostile territory toward a better life in Montana, where the fictional Duttons reside in the present. And, LaMonica Garrett (The Last Ship and Arrow) will play the right hand of Pinkerton agent Shea Brennan (Elliott), who hitches a ride with the Duttons and many others who’ll fill the 30 actual wagon trains. (Deadline)

Tony winner Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen) has landed a major recurring role in The Good Doctor, but details on what role she will play is being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) will star in and executive produce the upcoming Apple TV+ drama The Changeling, which will be adapted from the Victor LaValle novel. The series is described as a fairytale for grown-ups, a horror story, a parenthood fable; a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed. (TV Line)

Cast members for the upcoming FX on Hulu series adaptation of Under the Banner of Heaven, based on the Jon Krakauer novel, have been announced. The series will follow a devout detective whose faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder that seems to be connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government. Among the cast are the already announced Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) and new cast members Sam Worthington (Avatar), Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Gil Birmingham (Yellowstone), Adelaide Clemens (Rectify), Rory Culkin (Halston), Seth Numrich (Turn: Washington Spies) and Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels and Sanctuary).  (Variety)

Game of Thrones alum Jacob Anderson (he played Grey Worm) has landed the lead role of the titular vampire Louis in the AMC series adaptation of Interview With the Vampire, based on the novel. Anderson will also appear in the upcoming season of Doctor Who as a new character named Vinder. (Variety)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Sisters Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams are teaming up to play sisters in two original Hallmark Channel Christmas movies expected later this year. They will also serve as executive producers along with Ashley’s husband Neal Dodson. The movies are currently entitled Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday and Sister Swap: Christmas in the City. (People)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Jake Gyllenhaal will star in the box office movie Oblivion Song, which is an adaptation of the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Lorenzo De Felici, which focuses on Nathan Cole, a man who makes daily trips to try and rescue those still living in Oblivion, an apocalyptic hellscape in Philadelphia that was lost a decade prior, along with 300,000 of its citizens. (Variety)

This Is Us alum Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass (Bombshell) will team up in the sci-fi movie Biosphere, which will be written by Duplass and director Mel Eslyn in her feature directorial debut. Details on the plot, however, are being kept under wraps. (Variety)

The Oscar-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. is in final negotiations to make her feature film acting debut in The Color Purple movie musical, which is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which – of course – is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker that centers on a woman named Celie Harris and tracks her life-long struggles as an African American woman living in the South during the early 1900s. H.E.R. will play Squeak, who, in the musical, goes from a juke joint waitress to an aspiring singer. (The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Netflix has given a 3rd season order to Never Have I Ever. (TV Line)

CANCELLATION

Peacock has pulled the plug on the Punky Brewster reboot after only one season. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Sandra Mae Frank, who played Abigail in an episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and performed the memorable American Sign Language performance of ‘Fight Song,’ will recur on the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam, playing a deaf surgeon. AND, Chloe Freeman (The Blacklist) will also recur in the series as Dr. Pavan Carey, a new resident in Dr. Bloom’s (series regular Janet Montgomery) Emergency Department. (TV Line)

Hank Azaria will star in the Showtime anthology series Super Pumped that details the rise of the driving service Uber, playing Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. The cast also includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick; Kyle Chandler as Texas venture capitalist Bill Gurley; and Kerry Bishé aslAustin Geidt, Uber employee number four. (Variety)

Newcomer Zaria (Two Distant Strangers and Malia Pyles (Baskets) have joined the cast of the HBO Max spin-off series [of sorts] Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. They join the previously announced Bailee Madison (of Good Witch fame). Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago as well as their own. (Deadline)

Raven Goodwin (Being Mary Jane) and Nicole Chanel Williams (Boomerang) will recur alongside Yaya DaCosta, Morris Chestnut and Joe Morton in the upcoming FOX drama Our Kind of People, which follows strong-willed single mom Angela Vaughn (DaCosta) as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary hair care line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women. She soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever. Goodwin will play Josephine, Angela’s (DaCosta) old college roommate and close friend while Williams will play Taylor, a 17-year-old fun-loving and open girl. (Deadline)

Peter Gallagher (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and The O.C.) will have a recurring role in the upcoming season of Grey’s Anatomy, playing Dr. Alan Hamilton who knew Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) back in the day and meets Meredith (series lead Ellen Pompeo). (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Tayler Buck has been promoted to series regular for the second season of Superman & Lois. She played Natalie Irons, John Henry’s daughter via the Lois of his own Earth. (TV Line and Deadline)

The Sopranos alum Jamie-Lynn Sigler will have a key role in season 2 of the ABC drama Big Sky. She will play Tonya, a waitress at a local diner, who hires Dewell & Hoyt to find her missing boyfriend. Season 2 will find Cassie (series lead Kylie Bunbury) and Jenny (series regular Katheryn Winnick) reunited to investigate a car wreck outside of Helena, Montana. But they soon discover that the case might not be as straightforward as it seems. As they unravel the mystery of the accident, their worlds will collide with a band of unsuspecting teens, a flirtatious face from Jenny’s past and a vicious outsider hellbent on finding answers. (Deadline)

NOT GOING TO HAPPEN

Efforts to find the ABC drama Rebel a new home has come up empty, as series creator Krista Vernoff announced that hopes to get a streaming platform to pick it up have failed. It should also be noted that IMDbTV has passed on picking up the canceled drama For Life as well. (The Futon Critic, Deadline and TV Line)

TV DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order for a small screen adaptation of the box office movie Field of Dreams. (Variety)

FALL TV SCOOP

Thanks to Matt Mitovich over at TV Line for the following scoop items:

• Jack Coleman (of Heroes fame) will recur on this fall’s new NBC drama Ordinary Joe, recurring as Dr. Douglas Banks, the father of Jenny (to be played by Elizabeth Lail from You and Once Upon a Time);
• Burden of Truth is currently airing its final season on The CW here in the States, and viewers can be happy to know that Nicola Correia-Damude (who has been recurring on The Republic of Sarah, has recurred on Coroner and was a recurring cast member on Shadowhunters) will indeed be back in Millwood, returning as Diane.

SAVE OF THE WEEK, MAYBE

Netflix is in ongoing talks to POTENTIALLY save the NBC drama Manifest for a 4th season but neither the streaming service nor Warner Bros. TV has made no official announcement. (Deadline and TV Line)

There is no guarantee, but it looks like the recently cancelled CBS legal drama All Rise just MIGHT be getting a second chance thanks to the folks over at OWN. The network is in very early negotiations to potentially pick up the series for a 3rd season and have even been in touch with series lead Simone Missick and several other cast members whose contracts ended in June. (TV Line)

STREAMING SERVICES NEWS

HBO Max is in early development with writer Misha Green for a Black Canary movie that would find Jurnee Smollett reprising her role from last year’s Birds of Prey movie. (Cinelinx and Collider)

Hulu has acquired the US rights to the heist series The Unusual Suspects set to star [among others] Miranda Otto. The Australian series revolves around women from different walks of life who come together following the elaborate heist of a $16 million necklace which belonged to a self-made businesswoman. The ensuing police investigation exposes cracks in Eastern Sydney’s sparkling façade and provides an insight into the immigrant experience in the region. (Variety)

Big Sky cast member Jesse James Keitel will be a series regular in the reboot of Queer as Folk on Peacock. The update will chronicle a diverse group of friends in New Orleans, whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. Keitel will play a trans, semi-reformed party girl who is struggling to grow up. (Variety)

Tim Robbins will join Rebecca Ferguson in the Apple series adaptation of the book ‘Wool’ by Hugh Howey. The series will be set in a ruined and toxic future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Robbins will play Bernard, the head of IT for the Silo. (Variety)

Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton breakout, who was also in Younger) will star in and executive produce the screen adaptation of the book ‘Exciting Time,’ which will center on Ava, an Irish transplant teaching English grammar abroad to wealthy children. She becomes entangled in a love triangle with banker Julian and lawyer Edith. (Variety)

Netflix has a new family movie series set to roll out that will include among its cast Jane Lynch (Glee), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Sasha Pieterse (Pretty Little Liars). The story will follow two girls who could not be more different: Ivy is quiet, thoughtful and intellectual while Bean is rambunctious, wild and fearless. But an adventure will reveal that opposites attract and bring the two girls together. The series will actually be made up of one-hour movies, rather than being a TV show. (Deadline and Digital Spy)

Actor O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale and the box office movie Black Widow) will recur alongside Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway in the upcoming Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed. He will play Cameron Lautner, a partner at a powerful investment firm who is tasked with trying to instill discipline at WeWork and prepare it for its upcoming IPO, which brings him into conflict with the company’s eccentric and headstrong CEO. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Lifetime has greenlit a Flowers in the Attic four-part prequel mini-series that will star Jemima Rooper (Hex and Lost in Austen) and Max Irons (Condor) as well as Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Harry Hamlin (Mad Men), Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black) and Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) [among others]. Flowers in the Attic: The Origin will peel back the curtain to reveal the twisted origins and dark secrets of the Foxworth family. Olivia Winfield (Rooper), who is working alongside her beloved father (Hamlin) when she finds herself unexpectedly wooed by one of the nation’s most eligible bachelors, Malcom Foxworth (Irons). After a whirlwind romance, Olivia finds herself as the mistress of the imposing Foxworth Hall, where she soon discovers that the fairytale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare. Mulgrew will play Mrs. Steiner, Malcom’s loyal house manager and head of the Foxworth Hall staff; Grammer will play Malcom’s illustrious father Garland Foxworth, and Wesley will play John Amos, Olivia’s cousin whose revelations change her life forever. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Lana Parrilla (Why Women Kill and Once Upon a Time) will star alongside Anthony Rapp (Rent and Star Trek: Discovery) in the indie drama film Scrap. Writer-director Vivian Kerr will also star in the film as Beth, who has recently been laid off and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben (Rapp) finds out, Beth must confront her own pride before she can reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter Birdy. Parrilla will play Ben’s wife, a successful attorney who is secretly struggling with IVF and re-evaluating her own conflicted relationship with motherhood. (Deadline)

Anthony Mackie will suit up in the upcoming Captain America 4 movie that will be co-written by Malcolm Spellman, who was head writer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. (Variety)

Jack O’Connell (the box office film Unbroken and the Netflix series Godless) will star alongside Emma Corrin (the latest season of The Crown and the first season of the EPIX period piece Pennyworth) will star in the Sony Pictures and Netflix film Lady Chatterley’s Lover, based on the classic D.H. Lawrence novel, which follows the life of Lady Chatterley, a woman born to a life of wealth and privilege, who soon finds herself married to a man that she eventually falls out of love with. (Deadline)

Relative newcomer Dominique Thorne (who had roles in the box office films If Beale Street Could Talk and Judas and the Black Messiah) will star in the Disney+ series Ironheart in the lead role of Riri Williams, a 15-year-old MIT student who reverse engineers Iron Man’s armor in order to create her own suit of armor. Thorne will also be featured in the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hi All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

HBO has renewed The White Lotus for a second season that will feature both a new cast and a new locale. (TV Line)

TV PICK-UP ORDER

ABC has picked up the Latino project Promised Land to series. The drama will be an epic, generation-spanning series about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. The cast will include John Ortiz (Messiah and the box office movie Peppermint); Mexican actress Cecilia Suarez (The House of Flowers); Augusto Aguilera (Made for Love and the 2018 movie The Predator); and Christina Ochoa (Animal Kingdom and A Million Little Things) [among others]. (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

FX has given a development order for another installment of the American Crime Story franchise tentatively called Studio 54: American Crime Story along with two new limited anthology series called American Love Story and American Sport Story all from series creator Ryan Murphy. American Love Story will tell a scripted tale about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Meanwhile the first installment of American Sports Story will focus on former NFL player and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez. Studio 54: American Crime Story will follow Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager who, in 1977, turned their midtown Manhattan disco into an international mecca of nightlife. After three years of lavish parties, music, sex and drugs, Rubell and Schrager fell hard when they were convicted of tax fraud. (Variety)

NOT MOVING FORWARD

ABC is not moving forward with the new fairytale drama called Epic from Once Upon a Time co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis. (TV Line)

STREAMING SERVICE NEWS

Amazon Studios has landed the rights to the action film Coyote Blue that will star This Is Us alum Sterling K. Brown. The movie revolves around an everyman (Brown) who’s hunted by a ruthless criminal syndicate for his mysterious cargo, and must navigate the treacherous terrain of Route 66 while unleashing his lethal set of skills in a fight for survival. (Variety)

Rowan Blanchard (Snowpiercer and Girl Meets World) and Auli’i Cravalho (the voice of Moana and the box office movie All Together Now) will star in an upcoming as-yet-titled coming-of-age teen movie on Hulu. Blanchard will play Paige, an aspiring artist who’s thrust out of her comfort zone when forced to join the track team captained by her longtime crush, but she soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate, ultimately discovering what real love feels like. Cravalho will play AJ, an elusive track star who has always lived in the shadow of her twin sister. (Variety)

Amazon Studios and Kaling International (Mindy Kaling’s production company) are developing the Uzma Jalaluddin novel “Hana Khan Carries On” into a movie that puts a modern Muslim spin on a premise first made famous by the classic “The Shop Around the Corner” from Ernst Lubitschwhich, which was later updated with Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. The novel follows two competing Halal shops. Hana’s family owns a restaurant called Three Sisters in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto, and its business is threatened when a more commercial, fusion-based eatery moves in down the street. The catch is that Hana and the owner of the other restaurant, Aydin, have an instant romantic connection. (Variety)

TV NEWS

Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago and The Mask of Zorro) has joined the cast of the upcoming Netflix series Wednesday Addams where she will guest star as Morticia Addams, the family matriarch. (Variety)

Due to a scheduling conflict Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD alum Chloe Bennet has departed from her role of Blossom on the live-action pilot Powerpuff, which is based on The Powerpuff Girls. The show was in contention for pilot season earlier this year, but the original pilot was scrapped and is set to be redeveloped. Recasting of the role will begin this fall. (Variety)

Australian actor Sam Reid (The Astronaut Wives Club and Lambs of God) has landed the lead role of Lestat in the upcoming AMC small screen adaptation of Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice that has been given an 8-episode order and which is expected to debut in 2022 on both AMC and AMC+. (Variety)

TV MOVIE NEWS

The upcoming NBC TV movie Annie Live! has added to its cast, which already includes Harry Connick Jr. and Taraji P. Henson. The new cast members are Nicole Scherzinger (The Masked Singer and former member of The Pussycat Dolls) and Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Scherzinger will play Grace, Daddy Warbucks’ (Connick) chief of staff while Burgess will play Rooster, the underhanded brother of the ruthless Miss Hannigan (Henson). (The Futon Critic and The Hollywood Reporter)

LIMITED SERIES NEWS

Grey’s Anatomy alum Jesse Williams will lead the small screen adaptation of the Tony-winning play Take Me Out that is set as a limited TV series. Set in the early 2000s, the story follows Darren Lemming, a mixed-race star center fielder for the fictional Empires, whose decision to come out of the closet sparks controversy and soul searching for American’s favorite pastime, revealing long-held, unspoken prejudices both on and off the field. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships. Williams will play Lemming. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Idris Elba will provide the voice of Knuckles in the animated movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2. (Variety)

Andre Braugher has joined the cast of the box office film She Said, which is the retelling of the investigation into sexual assault and harassment perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein. Braugher will play New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet, who oversaw groundbreaking reporting from journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The cast includes Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as Twohey and Kantor and Patricia Clarkson. (Variety)

Emma Stone will reprise the lead role in the upcoming sequel Cruella 2. (Deadline and Variety)

BROADWAY NEWS

Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart and the upcoming Impeachment: American Crime Story) will play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. This will be the first time the musical has been revived on Broadway since it wrapped its run nearly six decades ago. Ironically, Feldstein played the lead role at her 3rd birthday party “in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit (her) mom made for (her)…(so it) is truly (her) lifelong dream come true. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

RENEWAL/CANCELLATIONS

Apple TV+ has given a second season renewal to the dark comedy Physical, but the streaming service has pulled the plug on the Sara Bareilles executive produced drama Little Voice after only one season (TV Line)

Disney+ has given a second season renewal to The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. (TV Line)

POTENTIAL RETURN

The short-lived NBC musical drama Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist may be getting a second life thanks to the folks over at Roku. A two-hour wrap-up movie could debut on The Roku Channel over the holidays AND if that two-hour movie performs well enough, it’s possible that Roku could order additional episodes. No official announcement has been made yet. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

New cast members will join the second season of the HBO drama Euphoria. Minka Kelly (Titans and Friday Night Lights) is rumored to be playing a jaded, drugged-out suburban housewife; Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., the son of Black Mafia Founder Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, is rumored to be playing a love interest for Maddy (Alexa Demie); and singer-songwriter Dominic Fike in an as-yet-to-be announced role. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Luis Guzman (the box office films Traffic and The Count of Monte Cristo) will appear as Gomez Adams, the patriarch of the Addams family in the Netflix series Wednesday. (Variety)

Britt Robertson and Michelle Forbes will not be returning to the second season of the ABC drama Big Sky; but Forbes will be seen on the small screen in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam in the recurring role of Dr. Veronica Fuentes, a calm, poised and fearless fixer who is brought in to “reconstruct” the failing hospital. (TV Line)

Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn will return as Bernadette Stabler, mother of Det. Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) in Law & Order: Organized Crime. (TV Line)

Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother and The Avengers franchise) will take over the role of Ann Coulter in the upcoming FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story. The role was originally to be played by GLOW alum Betty Gilpin, who exited due to scheduling complications. (Variety)

It’s gonna be a Xena: Warrior Princess reunion on the Acorn TV drama Life Is Murder, which stars Lucy Lawless in the lead role. Renee O’Connor, who played long time Xena companion Gabrielle, will appear. Alexa (Lawless) will investigate the death of a self-help guru and finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with the victim’s mysterious wife (O’Connor).  (Acorn Press Release)

The Yellowstone prequel spin-off – 1883 – will debut on Paramount+ with some pretty well-known headliners. Husband-and-wife country superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and veteran actor Sam Elliott will star in the much-anticipated series that follows the Dutton family as it embarks on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. McGraw and Hill will play James and Margaret Dutton, the patriarch and matriarch of the Dutton family, respectively while Elliott will play Shea Brennan, a tough-as-nails cowboy with immense sadness in his past. He has the herculean task of guiding a group from Texas to Montana, and he does not suffer fools. (TV Line)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner franchise) has joined the cast of the feature film satire Not Okay that follows a misguided young woman desperate for friends and fame, who fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted. (Variety)

Rob Lowe will star and executive produce the Netflix movie Dog Gone that is based on the true story of a father and son who repair their fractured relationship during a forced hike of the Appalachian trail to find their beloved lost dog. Kimberly Williams-Paisley will co-star. (Deadline)

Xolo Mariduena (Cobra Kai) has been cast as Blue Beetle in the HBO Max movie adaptation of the DC superhero. (Variety)

Kerry Washington will star in and produce the Netflix film adaptation Rockaway that is based on the Diane Cardwell memoir “Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life.” Washington will play a Manhattan-based journalist who unexpectedly discovers the transcendent power of surfing while on a routine assignment, and finds herself running from the comfortable life she’s always known toward a life of romance and self-discovery in eclectic Rockaway Beach. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Hulu has given Love, Victor a third season renewal. (TV Line)

Sweet Tooth has been given a second season renewal by Netflix. (TV Line)

TNT has given a fourth season renewal to Snowpiercer, as the series wrapped production on Season 3. (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Hallmark’s Mahogany cards – the 34-year-old brand – will launch original movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in early 2022. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Matt Bomer (White Collar and Doom Patrol) will star opposite Michelle Monaghan in the Netflix psychological thriller limited series Echoes, which is about identical twins Leni and Gina (both to be played by Monaghan), who share a dangerous secret. Since they were children, Leni and Gina secretly have swapped lives, culminating in a double life as adults: They share two homes, two husbands and a child, but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing. Bomer will play Jack Beck, Leni’s husband, the boy-next-door who grew up to be the husband everybody wishes they had: soulful, a loving father and a valuable member of the community who runs a successful veterinary practice and horse farm on the land that has been in his family for generations. When his wife disappears mysteriously, it’s Jack who has the most to lose as her secret life comes to the surface. (Deadline)

Jodie Whittaker will be leaving her role as the first female Doctor Who after the show’s upcoming new season, which will be the actress’s third season in the coveted role. Current showrunner Chris Chibnall will also be leaving the show. Whittaker will appear in a 6-part event serial as well as three specials before moving on – or in the case of Doctor Who a regeneration. There is no word on who will take over the legendary character just yet. (Variety)

Killjoys alum Thom Allison has joined the cast of the upcoming season of the Canadian drama Coroner where he will be playing the recurring role of the highly competitive and commanding Dr. Elijah Thompson. (TV, Eh?)

HBO Max has rebooted Gossip Girl, and now they are doing the same with the ABC Family/Freeform series Pretty Little Liars. The reboot, which will be called Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has cast Good Witch and Once Upon a Time alum Bailee Madison in the role of Imogen, who is being described as a true survivor, who will drive the mystery of uncovering ‘A’ as she fights for her life and the lives of her friends. Madison joins Chandler Kinney (from the FOX small screen adaptation of Lethal Weapon) and relative newcomer Maia Reficco, who have been cast in the roles of Tabby, an aspiring director and horror movie buff with a secret and Noa, a striving, sardonic track star respectively. The reboot will take place 20 years after a series of tragic events nearly ripped apart the blue-collar town of Millwood. (TV Insider)

American Horror Story alum Lily Rabe has joined the Showtime anthology TV series The First Lady, appearing as Lorena “Hick” Hickok, a devoted friend and mentor to Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a pioneering American journalist, who by 1932 became America’s best-known female reporter. Clea DuVall (Veep) and Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World) have also joined the cast in recurring roles. The series is described as a reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Among the cast are Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, aron Eckhart as President Gerald Ford, O-T Fagbenle as President Barack Obama and Dakota Fanning as Susan Elizabeth Ford. (Variety and Deadline)

True Blood alum Joe Manganiello has joined the cast of the upcoming AMC utopian drama series Moonhaven, the suspense thriller set 100 years in the future that will focus on Bella Sway (newcomer Emma McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler, who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. A skeptic in Paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence responsible for Moonhaven’s miracles and teams with a local detective, Paul Serno (Dominic Monaghan from Lost), to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves. Manganiello will play Tomm Schultz, an ex-military with a philosophical bent, he is the right hand of the lead Earth diplomat to the moon, who finds his ambitions changed when he’s injected with a mind-altering moon drug. (Deadline)

Amazon is making a series adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel “Anansi Boys,” and legendary actor Delroy Lindo. The show will follow Charlie Nancy, a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father, Mr. Nancy. But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that his father was Anansi: trickster god of stories. Lindo will star as Anansi/Mr. Nancy. (Variety)

Jai Courtney has joined the cast of the upcoming Amazon series The Terminal List, which includes among its cast Chris Pratt. The series follows James Reece (Pratt) after his entire platoon of Navy SEALs is ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. Reece returns home to his family with conflicting memories of the event and questions about his culpability. However, as new evidence comes to light, Reece discovers dark forces working against him, endangering not only his life but the lives of those he loves. Courtney will recur as Steve Horn, the billionaire kingpin behind Capstone Industries. Capstone is an enormously successful global fund with its hand in everything from pharmaceuticals to fashion. But Horn’s bread and butter is capitalizing on the latest military trends and innovations. Horn’s hubris and influence are equally threatening, and will put him squarely in Reece’s crosshairs. (Variety)

Nick Creegan (David Makes Man and Law & Order: Organized Crime) has landed a series regular role in the third season of The CW series Batwoman. Creegan will play Marquis Jet, a sexy playboy who grew up in a lavish lifestyle, who is too charming for his own good and wields his power with a ne’er do well attitude. He views life as one big joke and that sense of recklessness has a tendency to clash horribly with his no-nonsense mother Jada Jet. When he meets Ryan (series lead Javicia Leslie), he sees in her a like-minded young go-getter who, like him, is just waiting for the right opportunity to make his mark on Gotham. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Bridgerton fans can rejoice, as Rege-Jean Page (the Duke of Hastings himself) will star in and executive produce a new, reimagined version of The Saint, based in part on the 1920 book series by Leslie Charteris and the 1960s UK TV series that starred Roger Moore. The Saint follows Simon Templar, better known as The Saint, a Robin Hood-esque criminal and thief for hire who goes on a globetrotting adventure. Plot details are being kept under wraps, however. (Deadline)

Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Anthony Ramos (In the Heights and Hamilton) and Marc Maron (GLOW) will lend their voices to the DreamWorks Animation cartoon action comedy The Bad Guys that will follow a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws as they attempt their most challenging con yet: becoming model citizens. The film will come out in April of 2022. (Variety)

Sebastian Stan (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) will star alongside Julianne Moore in the original film Sharper that will follow a con artist (Moore) and is set in Manhattan’s billionaire echelon. Stan will play Max, a clever con-man known for carrying out complicated plans and making away with large sums of money. (Deadline)

Joel Courtney (The Kissing Booth movie franchise) and Crystal Reed (Swamp Thing and MTV’s Teen Wolf) will star in the original dramatic comedy film Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game that will be based on the true story of writer and pinball wizard Roger Sharpe, chronicling his journey to overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

POTENTIAL RESURRECTION

NBC has restarted talks with Warner Bros. Television about a possible season 4 for Manifest, which was recently cancelled. Additionally, it appears that Netflix is also taking part in the renewal talks. (TV Line)

RENEWALS

Paramount+ has given a 6th season renewal to The Good Fight. (TV Line)

GREENLIGHT ORDER

Netflix has given a greenlight order to the political conspiracy thriller The Night Agent inspired by the New York Times best-seller by author Matthew Quirk. The series will center on a low-level FBI agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

Josh Segarra (Arrow) has joined the cast of Disney+ series She-Hulk which stars Orphan Black alum Tatiana Maslany in the title role. (Deadline)

A Different World alum Kadeem Hardison has joined the cast of the AMC drama Moonhaven, which already includes cast members Dominic Monaghan and Ayelet Zurer. Hardison will play Arlo, partner to detective Paul Serno (Monaghan). (Deadline)

Actress Madeleine Mantock has departed the reboot of Charmed; meaning she will not be back for the show’s upcoming 4th season. (TV Line)

The upcoming HBO limited series Irma Vep will star Alica Vikander as Mira, an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who goes to France to star in a remake of a French silent film classic. Adria Arjona will also star in the film, playing Laurie, Mira’s ex-assistant and girlfriend. (Variety)

Omar Metwally has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming 2nd season of the ABC drama Big Sky where he recurred as U.S. Marshal Mark Lindor. (TV Line)

Alfre Woodard will star in and executive produce the BET+ and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) series The Porter, playing Fay, who runs the local brothel in St. Antoine. (TV, Eh?)

Matt Ryan won’t be playing John Constantine in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow any longer, but that doesn’t mean he is leaving the show. In fact, he will be back, but he’ll be playing a different character. His new role will be Dr. Gwyn Davies, an eccentric scientist from the early 20th century who might be the team’s only hope next season. (TV Line)

Tammy Townsend (K.C. Undercover) has joined the cast of Queen Sugar for its upcoming 6th season. She will play Billie, the daughter of beloved Bordelon family friend Prosper Denton. Also, Paula Jai Parker (A House Divided) will play Celine, a single mother who Aunt Violet takes under her wing; Marquis Rodriguez (When They See Us) will play Isaiah, a college student who befriends Micah West; and McKinley Freeman (Hit the Floor) will play Dominic, a cultural anthropologist who captures Nova’s attention. (TV Line)

New cast members have been added to the much anticipated, upcoming second season of the PBS period piece Sanditon (loosely based on the final, unfinished novel by Jane Austen). Among them are Ben Lloyd-Hughes (the Divergent franchise) who will play Alexander Colbourne, a mysterious resident with a complex family history; Tom Weston-Jones (Copper), who will play self-assured war hero Colonel Francis Lennox. Both men will be rival’s for the affections of Charlotte Heywood (series lead Rose Williams). Rosie Graham (who played the doomed daughter of Aunt Jo on Outlander) will play Charlotte’s spirited younger sister Alison while Alexander Vlahos (Versailles and who who will also be seen in the upcoming season 6 of Outlander) will play flamboyant Charles Lockhart, a Byronic artist who arrives to paint portraits of Sanditon’s fashionable and wealthy residents. (PBS)

Chicago Med is promoting Steven Weber to series regular. He has been recurring as Dr. Dean Archer, the interim chief of the ED. Also, new cast members are being added, including Guy Lockard (The Village) and Kristen Hager (the US version of Being Human). Lockard will play Dr. Dylan Scott, who left a career as a Chicago police officer to become a doctor; while Hager will play Dr. Stevie Hammer, a brilliant and scrappy emergency room attending physician. (Deadline)

Sofia Hasmik, who has recurred as Chrissy Beppo, the small-town intrepid reporter in Smallville on Superman & Lois has been promoted to series regular for season 2. (TV Line)

America Ferrera (Ugly Betty and Superstore) will star opposite Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto in the upcoming Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed that is based on the podcast of the same name that explores the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork, one of the world’s most valuable startups, and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible. Ferrera will play Elishia Kennedy, a brilliant young entrepreneur seduced into joining WeWork whose life is turned upside down as a result. (TV Line)

Victoria Cartagena has joined the cast of the third season of Batwoman as a new series regular, playing DC hero Renee Montoya, a former GCPD officer who left the force when she could no longer stomach the corruption inside the department. Cartagena previously played Renee Montoya on FOX’s Gotham, though the universes are not connected. (Deadline)

Anthony Ippolito (the Netflix drama Grand Army) will play Al Pacino in the Paramount+ upcoming limited series The Offer, where he will star opposite Miles Teller and Matthew Goode, which is based on two-time Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy’s (Teller) experience of making the iconic 1972 film The Godfather. (Deadline)

Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies) will star in Three Women, the upcoming hour-long Showtime series based on the non-fiction best-seller by Lisa Taddeo. The series is an intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, focusing on three women who are on a crash course toward radically overturning their lives. Woodley will play Gia, a writer grieving the loss of her family, who persuades each of these three women to tell her their stories. (Deadline)

Anna Torv (Fringe) has joined the cast of the HBO adaptation of the PlayStation phenom The Last of Us, playing the recurring role of Tess, a smuggler and hardened survivor in a post-pandemic world. The series will be set two decades after the implosion of current-day society, following Joel (Pedro Pascal from The Mandalorian), a tough survivor, who is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie out of an “oppressive” quarantine zone. Other cast members will include Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials), Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Merle Dandridge (Greenleaf) [among others]. (TV Line)

Michelle Monaghan (Netflix’s Messiah) will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series Echoes, playing identical twins, Leni and Gina, who share a dangerous secret. Since they were children, Leni and Gina have secretly swapped lives, culminating in a double life as adults: they share two homes, two husbands, and a child but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing. (The Hollywood Reporter)

FILM NEWS

Anthony Mackie, David Harbour and Jahi Di’Allo Winston (Queen & Slim) will star in the upcoming Netflix family adventure We Have a Ghost, which is being adapted from the short story Ernest by Geoff Managuh, which is about a young man named Kevin (Winston) whose family finds a ghost named Ernest (Harbour) haunting their new home. Discovering Ernest turns Kevin’s family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest go rogue to investigate the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA. (Variety)

Tony winner Ali Stroker (who also appeared in Glee) will star in the upcoming film adaptation Being Heumann, based on the memoir by Judith Heumann, a disability activist, championing the rights of the disabled community from a young age. Heumann started using a wheelchair after contracting polio at the age of 5, when she was also deemed a fire hazard and told she had to stay at home. (Deadline and Digital Spy)

Danielle Deadwyler (The Haves and the Have Nots) will star alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the upcoming film Till, which is about Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Louis Till. Deadwyler will portray Mamie Till-Mobley, while Goldberg will play Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan. (Variety)

Leslie Grace (In the Heights) has been tapped to play Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, in the box office movie Batgirl. Plot details are, of course, being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) has joined the ensemble cast of the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; but, of course, character details have not been released. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Disney+ has given a second season to Loki. (TV Line)

EPIX has given Bridge and Tunnel a second season renewal. (Deadline)

RESURRECTION POSSIBILITY

The short-lived ABC drama Rebel will be heading to IMDb TV in a deal that COULD include a 2nd season order IF “the metrics merit.” The cast are still under option, making a revival a realistic possibility much like how the recently cancelled ABC drama For Life is also available on the streaming service. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

TV CASTING NEWS

The second season of the Amazon Prime drama Modern Love will premiere on August 13, including among its cast Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Tobias Menzies (Outlander and The Crown), Garrett Hedlund (Country Strong and Tron), Anna Paquin (True Blood), Minnie Driver (About a Boy) and Sophie Okonedo (Flack). The series is based on The New York Times column of the same name that brings to life several true stories of love and relationships. (TV Insider)

British actor Simon Callow (Outlander) has joined the cast of the Marvel series Hawkeye that finds Jeremy Renner back as the Marvel character. It is believed (but not confirmed) that his role will have ties to the character Jack Duquesne otherwise known as Swordsman, a villain set to appear in the show. (The Direct and The Cosmic Circus)

Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together) has joined the cast of the upcoming FOX drama The Cleaning Lady. He will play FBI Agent Garrett Miller, an intensely competitive, brilliant, and chameleonic FBI agent on the trail of Thony (series lead Elodie Yung) and the mob. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel and Losing Alice) will star opposite Dominic Monaghan (Lost) in the upcoming AMC drama Moonhaven. She will play Maite Voss, the political leader of Moonhaven, who was chosen and beloved by its citizens. She embodies the lunar mission to save humanity from self-destruction. Haunted by a troubled past, she is drawn into a madness that risks the future of Earth. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

HBO Max has a drama called DMZ, based on the comic series by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, set to air with Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt in the lead roles. The series will chronicle the harrowing journey of fearless and fierce medic Alma Ortega (Dawson) as she attempts to find the son she lost in the evacuation of New York City at the onset of a conflict. Throwing gasoline on the flames of that conflict is Parco Delgado (Bratt), the popular, and deadly, leader of one of the most powerful gangs in the DMZ. He wants to rule this new world and will stop at nothing to secure that outcome. Among the new cast members just announced are Rutina Wesley (Queen Sugar and True Blood) who will play Athena, a calculating operative for the separatist Free States of America, and the most effective power broker in the DMZ that no one there has heard of; Mamie Gummer (True Detective and The Good Wife), who will Rose, a jaded medic; Saturday Night Live alum Nora Dunn (The Big Leap), who will play Oona, a powerful fixture of near-mythical stature who oversees an all-female commune and Henry G. Sanders (Queen Sugar) who will play Cedric, a straight-shooting citizen of the DMZ whose only care in the world is protecting his grandson. (Deadline)

Paramount+ has given a green light to a prequel series to the classic 1978 film Grease. The 10-episode series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will be set four years before the original movie, before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school. Four fed-up, outcast girls dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever. (Deadline)

Alexa Davalos (The Man in the High Castle) will star opposite Julian McMahon in FBI: Most Wanted for the show’s 3rd season. She will play an FBI agent who joins Jess’ (McMahon’s) team. (Deadline)

The Dexter revival on Showtime will bring back not only John Lithgow but also Jennifer Carpenter, both of whom will (somehow) be resurrected. (TV Line)

Robert Downey Jr. will not only produce but also star in the HBO series The Sympathizer, based on the best-selling espionage thriller by Thanh Nguyen, that is described as a cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States. A worldwide search is currently underway for the lead role and the rest of the predominantly Vietnamese ensemble. (Variety)

The HBO Max Sex and the City reveival And Just Like That… has added the following cast members: Nicole Ari Parker (Empire and Soul Food), who will play Lisa Todd Wexley, a Park Avenue mother of three and documentarian; Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), who will play Seema Patel, a single, self-made powerhouse Manhattan real estate broker; and Karen Pittman (The Morning Show), who will play Dr. Nya Wallace, a brilliant, challenging Columbia Law professor. (TV Line)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Rebel may be done [for now, see above], but she’s got a new project coming up. She will appear in the EPIX thriller movie Tattered Hearts, which is set to debut sometime in 2022. The movie will follow an up-and-coming country music duo who seek out the secluded mansion of their idol, Harper Dutch (Sagal). But what starts out as a friendly visit devolves into a twisted series of horrors that force the friends to confront the lengths they’ll go to in order to realize their dreams. (The Hollywood Reporter)

STREAMING MOVIE NEWS

Jessica Alba (Dark Angel and L.A.’s Finest) will executive producer and star in the Netflix action film Trigger Warning, which follows a traumatized veteran who inherits her grandfather’s bar, and is faced with a moral dilemma after discovering the truth behind his untimely death. (Variety)

The Netflix film Luckiest Girl Alive, based on the Jessica Knoll bestseller, will feature an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis (That 70’s Show), Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story), Scoot McNairy (Narcos: Mexico), Jennifer Beals (The Book of Eli, The Last Tycoon) and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, Nashville) [among others]. The movie centers on Ani FaNelli (Kunis), a sharp-tongued New Yorker who appears to have it all: a sought-after position at a glossy magazine, a killer wardrobe, and a dream Nantucket wedding on the horizon. But when the director of a crime documentary invites her to tell her side of the shocking incident that took place when she was a teenager at the prestigious Brentley School, Ani is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously crafted life. (Netflix and The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Henry Cavill has added another movie to his already busy schedule. He will appear in the film The Rosie Project, which follows an unlucky-in-love university professor who creates an elaborate questionnaire in an effort to find a wife. He meets an unconventional woman who doesn’t match any of his “requirements” but might be the perfect woman for him. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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