‘Babylon 5’ Animated Movie in the Works, Series Creator J. Michael Straczynski Says

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lionsgate has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the the Biblical epic series “The Chosen.” Three seasons of “The Chosen” have been produced to date. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, while Season 1 is also on Netflix. It is also availabile in France on Canal+, the Netherlands on NPO, Spain on MovieStar and Poland on TVP. A fourth season, from creator, director, and producer Dallas Jenkins and starring Jonathan Roumie, is currently in production. It has also pulled in $35 million at the box office in special event theatrical releases The Come and See Foundation will retain and manage licensing rights for all activities within the non-profit sector.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Disney’s annual upfront presentation leaned heavily on the company’s non-scripted programming, opening with nearly an hour of focus on ESPN and its sports offerings. The emphasis on live events, of course, comes as the writers strike continues and is expected to impact the fall TV season. In fact, around 100 Writers Guild members and other union supporters marched outside the Javits Center on Tuesday to remind Disney they are still looking for a deal with the company and the other studios. Among those seen on the picket line: Zach Cherry and Michael Emerson. Inside the Javits, sports and news stars from within Disney were out in force, while reality personalities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Jesse Palmer and Ryan Seacrest made appearances as well. Even WABC-TV New York anchors Sade Baderinwa and Bill Ritter got some time onstage.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ABC has ordered the drama “High Potential” starring Kaitlin Olson to series. The announcement was made ahead of the Disney upfront presentation in New York on Tuesday afternoon. The series order represents the first such order to come from ABC’s pilot crop this season. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the network’s other five pilots remain in contention at this time. The project now known as “High Potential” was originally ordered to pilot at ABC in September 2022, with Olson boarding the show in February. It is based on the French series “Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI).”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fox made its annual upfront pitch to advertisers at the Manhattan Center on Monday afternoon, pushing the messages of Fox Entertainment, Tubi, Fox News, and Fox Sports, all while promising the audience that don’t worry, we’ll get you hammered soon. Coming off of presentations hampered by the pandemic in recent years, Fox was back in nearly full force, with the writers’ strike limiting the number of network stars in attendance. The event also featured some football antics courtesy of Rob Gronkowski and some well-placed cursing by Gordon Ramsay. Read on below for Variety’s five biggest takeaways from the Fox upfront.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fox Entertainment’s CEO addressed the decision to cancel “9-1-1” and the show’s subsequent move to ABC during a conference call with the press ahead of the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York. “We look at shows in two different ways,” said Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment. “First and foremost from a creative lens and how much we like the creative. And the second thing is really the economics of that. I think we felt moving forward into what is really a new era of television, the economics weren’t going to pan out on this show for us. The decision was made there that the business model wasn’t right for us and that 20th TV would take the show back.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ABC has canceled the drama series “Alaska Daily,” “Big Sky,” and “The Company You Keep,” Variety has learned. Hilary Swank starred in “Alaska Daily” series as Eileen Fitzgerald, described as “a fiercely talented and award-winning investigative journalist who leaves her high-profile New York life behind after a fall from grace to join a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage on a journey to find both personal and professional redemption.” In addition to Swank, the series starred Jeff Perry as Stanley Cornik, Matt Malloy as Bob Young, Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy, Grace Dove as Rosalind “Roz” Friendly, Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Tovar, Ami Park as Yuna Park, and Craig Frank as Austin Teague.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Animal Control” has been renewed for Season 2 at Fox, Variety has learned. The renewal comes as little surprise, given the fact that the show is Fox’s first wholly owned live-action comedy. Per Fox, the show’s premiere was the network’s most streamed scripted debut ever, drawing an estimated 4.5 million viewers across all platforms in its first three days of availability. As the name suggests, the series centers on a group of animal control workers. The cast is led by Joel McHale, who stars alongside Michael Rowland, Vella Lovell, Ravi Patel, Grace Palmer, Alvina August, Kelli Ogmundson, and Gerry Dee.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Walker: Independence” has been canceled at The CW after just one season, Variety has learned. The series served as a prequel to fellow CW show “Walker,” which was just renewed for Season 4 at the network. The show was set in the late 1800s. Per the official description, it followed “Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), an affluent and tough-minded Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. After crossing paths with Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez), a curious Apache tracker, Abby arrives in the town of Independence, Texas, where she encounters diverse and eclectic residents running from their pasts, chasing their dreams, and keeping their own secrets.”

Staying cautious. Angelina Jolie urged followers to take cancer screenings seriously while paying tribute to her late mother.

Angelina Jolie is paying tribute to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of breast and ovarian cancer in 2007, at age 56. On Monday — World Ovarian Cancer Day — Jolie took to Instagram to share a rare personal photo of her and her mother from when Jolie was a young girl and encourage women to screen for cancer. «Tomorrow would have been my mother’s 73rd birthday.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Paramount’s Streaming Data & Marketing Group is making two high-profile changes under Domenic DiMeglio, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Paramount Streaming. Firstly, Michael Engelman has been named chief marketing officer of Paramount+ Domestic and Showtime. In that role, he will oversee consumer marketing, strategy, partnerships, lifecycle marketing, customer care, and social and creative execution for all U.S. campaigns. He will be based in Los Angeles. Secondly, Puja Vohra has been named executive vice president of consumer marketing for Paramount+ and Showtime. She will oversee brand, media, and program marketing for Paramount+ and Showtime and will be based in New York.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Yellowstone” is officially coming to an end, with the final episodes of the megahit Paramount Network series’ fifth season set to launch in November. In addition, an untitled sequel series has been ordered and will debut on Paramount Network and Paramount+ in December. The announcement comes after months of speculation that Kevin Costner would be leaving the series, reportedly over his desire to focus on the epic two-part Western feature “Horizon,” which would have seriously impacted his availability to film “Yellowstone.” “’Yellowstone’ has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits – from ‘1883’ to ‘Tulsa King,’ and I am confident our ‘Yellowstone’ sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” said Chris McCarthy, president & CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda offered fans an update on the upcoming Netflix live-action series based on the popular manga. “I’ve been working with Tomorrow Studios and Netflix for quite some time now,” Oda wrote in a letter posted online. “Even though they understand each of the characters, we obviously come from very different cultures so, when it comes to entertainment, we have different codes, skill sets, and aims. Sometimes it could be frustrating for both sides. It felt like, ‘We’re all trying to get to the same place so how come we’re not on the same wavelength?’ there was even a time when I thought, ‘Is a foreign production even possible?!’

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The behind-the-scenes world of professional wrestling was infamously closed off to the public for decades, frustrating fans who craved a glimpse of what their favorite performers were really likeoutside the ring.That all changed with the internet and social media. And now, the industry is peeling back the mystique further via a slew of docuseries about pro wrestling’s biggest stars and aspiring grapplers.WWE has a slate of four shows with A&E, including “WWE Rivals” and “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Meanwhile, Vice TV is releasing Season 4 of the series “Dark Side of the Ring” on May 30. Also in the mix, Apple TV+ recently aired the docuseries “Monster Factory,” named after the famed pro wrestling school in New Jersey where it takes place, and TBS began airing the All Elite Wrestling show “AEW: All Access” in March.Evan Husney, co-creator and executive producer of “Dark Side of the Ring,” says the pro wrestling doc boom is finally happening because the WWE “controlled the narrative for so long.” Only now are fans getting to see things from other perspectives.“[WWE] controlled all the documentaries that were being put out,” he says. “When we came along with our first season, it was the first time on television in a while that you had seen a sort of journalistic approach and different looks at behind-the-scenes stories and controversies on that large of a scale.”Also driving the wrestling docuseries explosion: nostalgia.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Xilam Animation will serve as animation studio on Zack Snyder’s upcoming Netflix series “Twilight of the Gods.” The series was originally announced in 2019. Little is known about the plot other than it will ancient Norse mythology. The voice cast includes: Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan, and Corey Stroll. The series does not yet have a premiere date. Xilam’s animation services on the animated series will include lay-out, colour BG, animation and compositing. The studio’s past credits include the Oscar-nominated feature “I Lost My Body” as well as shows like “Oggy and the Cockroaches,” “Zig & Sharko,” and “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho is set to star in the upcoming UPtv original movie “Country Hearts,” Variety has learned exclusively. The film, which will premiere this fall, follows “the daughters of country music and rock & roll royalty who find themselves at a crossroads, torn between following their dreams of performing or helping their father run their up-and-coming horse breeding business,” per the official description. “Between old flames, new love, best friends and family – they’ll all need the strength of each other to face the next steps.” Along with Jericho, the cast for the film also includes Lanie McAuley, Katerina Maria, Brendan Morgan, Jeff Irving, Craig Strickland, David Pinard, Michelle Nolden, Genevieve Fisher, Roy Lewis, Lara Amersey, Greg Ellwand, Bebsabe Duque, Celine Bauwmans, and Neil Whitely. A sequel, “Country Hearts Christmas,” has been greenlit already.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Dancing with the Stars” is coming back to ABC for Season 32, Variety has confirmed with sources. The move to bring the reality competition series back to the broadcast network comes after the show aired one season exclusively on streamer Disney+.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sydney Chandler has been cast as a lead in Noah Hawley’s “Alien” series currently in the works at FX, Variety has learned. Plot and character details are being kept under tight wraps on the project, which was first announced in December 2020. The only detail that has been confirmed is that the show will take place on Earth in the not-too-distant future. The role brings Chandler back to FX, as she previously made her network television debut in the cabler’s 2022 limited series “Pistol” from Danny Boyle, which told the story of the legendary band The Sex Pistols. Chandler starred in the series as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Chandler’s other credits include the film “Don’t Worry Darling” and the Facebook Watch series “SKAM Austin.” She is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple series “Sugar” opposite Colin Farrell.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Adam Brody will star opposite Kristen Bell in an upcoming comedy series for Netflix, Variety has learned. The untitled series was ordered at the streamer back in March. It centers “on the unlikely relationship between the outspoken, agnostic Joanne (Bell) and unconventional rabbi Noah (Brody).” The character Noah is further described as “a charming rabbi who is stuck in his ways and used to playing things safe. He starts to stumble when he meets a brutally honest and provocative Joanne, totally upending his safe life plan.” Brody is best known for his role in the hit Fox drama series “The O.C.,” while his other TV credits include “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Mrs. America,” “StartUp,” and “Single Parents.” He has also appeared in films such as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “Sleeping with Other People,” and “Promising Young Woman.”

Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox attended a special dinner this week. The pair made their way to Washington D.C. to join a dinner hosted by President Biden and the First Lady, where Yoon Suk Yeoul, the president of South Korea, was also in attendance.