‘Big Bang Theory’s’ Bill Prady, Chris Sanagustin’s Pine Tree Entertainment Sets Warner Bros. TV First-Look Deal

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s upcoming live-action series about Godzilla and the Titans has added its first five cast members, Variety has learned.Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski have all joined the untitled series, which hails from Legendary Television.In the show, following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, one family journeys to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.Sawai (“Pachinko,” “F9”) will star as Cate, a former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor. She travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime’s comedy pilot based on the 1999 film “The Wood” has set its main cast, Variety has learned exclusively.Vince Staples, Xavier Mills, Karen Obilom, Melvin Gregg, and Essence Renae will star in the pilot, with Richard T. Jones and Tamala Jones set to reprise their roles as Slim and Tanya respectively from the film.Rick Famuyiwa, who wrote and directed the film, will direct and executive produce the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist and her Three Things Productions banner have renewed their overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.In addition, Benoist has officially signed on to star in and produce the upcoming HBO Max-WBTV series “The Girls on the Bus.” She was first reported as being in talks for the series back in February.Under the terms of the overall deal, Benoist and Three Things will continue to develop and produce programming across all platforms for WBTV. Benoist runs three things with Sahar Kashi, the company’s vice president of development.“The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Amy Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” Benoist will play Sadie McCarthy, a journalist who romanticizes the original “Boys on the Bus” and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign for the paper of record.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Old Man” has been renewed for Season 2 at FX.The drama series debuted on FX on June 16. The first season will consist of seven episodes total with the fourth set to air on June 30 before becoming available to stream on Hulu.Based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.The series also stars John Lithgow as Harold Harper, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, as well as Alia Shawkat as Angela Adams, Harper’s protégé.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has struck a multi-year first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company run by Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens.The announcement of the deal comes after the premiere of “Loot,” the Apple comedy series in which Rudolph stars and executive produces. Under the terms of the deal, Apple will now have a first-look at all series and digital features developed and produced by Animal Pictures.In addition to “Loot,” Animal Pictures has Lyonne’s second season of “Russian Doll” at Netflix and Rian Johnson’s mystery “Poker Face” and a two-season order of adult animated series “The Hospital” created by Cirocco Dunlap.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMoses Ingram has signed on to star opposite Natalie Portman in the Apple limited series “Lady in the Lake.”Ingram takes over the role of Cleo Sherwood in the series from Lupita Nyong’o, whom Variety exclusively reported had exited the show after production had already begun.This is the latest high-profile TV role for Ingram, who is fresh off her starring turn in the Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Ingram is also known for appearing in the hit Netflix show “The Queen’s Gambit,” for which she received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a limited series. On the feature side, she has starred in projects like “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (which streams on Apple), “Ambulance,” and “The Same Storm.” She is repped by Innovative Artists, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Viewpoint, and Fox RothschildAlong with Ingram and Portman, the cast of “Lady in the Lake” includes Y’Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJosh Richards has entered into a first-look deal with Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the terms of the deal, he will act as a brand ambassador for the streamer and will develop custom social media for its content, including the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” The pro football league signed an 11-year deal with Amazon in 2021 for the rights to the Thursday night games, with this fall’s season being the first under the deal.“We are extremely excited to welcome Josh and his incredible team into the Amazon Studios and Prime Video fold,” said Lee Stimmel, head of influencer marketing for Amazon’s Prime Video. “Josh has an amazing track record of creating engaging content that resonates with his millions of fans.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDavid E. Kelley’s upcoming Peacock crime drama “The Missing” has added five new recurring guest stars, Variety has learned exclusively.Constance Zimmer (“Unreal,” “Big Sky”), Chris Sullivan (“This is Us,” “The Son in Law”), Ben Shenkman (“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Billions”) Rafael Cebrián (“Acapulco,” “Narcos”) and Danielle Davenport (“Sneaky Pete,” “The Breaks”) will all appear in the series. They join previously announced series lead Jeff Wilbusch and cast members Juliana Canfield, Karen Robinson, and Michael Mosley.Based on the Dror A.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRobin Thede has signed a three-year overall deal with HBO.Under the deal, Thede will develop content exclusively for HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Television.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMimi Leder has signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple, Variety has learned.Leder is currently an executive producer on the Apple drama series “The Morning Show.” She has also directed multiple episodes of the series, including the pilot. The show was renewed for a third season earlier this year, which is currently in production.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCBS has announced premiere dates for its fall 2022 lineup.Network cornerstone “NCIS” will return for its 20th Season on Monday, Sept. 19, followed by the second season premiere of “NCIS: Hawai’i.” Fellow franchise entry “NCIS: Los Angeles” is back for its 14th Season on Oct. 9.The broadcaster’s three “FBI” shows have Tuesdays all to themselves, with all three shows returning for new seasons beginning Sept.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Killing It” has been renewed for Season 2 at Peacock, Variety has learned.Series star Craig Robinson will return for the second season, with the first season having launched back in April. The first season consisted of 10 episodes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Dark Winds” has been renewed for Season 2 at AMC.The period noir crime thriller debuted on AMC on June 12. The first season will consist of six episodes total, as will the second season. The show is based on the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman.Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, the series follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) of the Tribal Police as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney+ has made three new additions to its cast, Variety has learned.Dior Goodjohn, Olivea Morton, and Charlie Bushnell have joined the series as Clarisse La Rue, Nancy Bobofit, and Luke Castellan respectively. Johnson and Bushnell will appear in recurring guest star roles, while Morton will be a guest star.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVince McMahon opened “SmackDown Live” on Friday night with a brief appearance in the ring.McMahon strutted to the ring with a smile on his face as his theme music — “No Chance in Hell” — played over the speakers. He kept his remarks brief, saying, “It is a privilege as always to stand before you here tonight, the WWE universe…I’m here simply to remind you of the four words we just saw in what we call our WWE signature.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTiffany Boone is set to star opposite André Holland in the Apple limited series “The Big Cigar.”The series is based on the Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman. It tells the true story of how Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton (Holland) relied in his friend Bert Schneider, the Hollywood producer behind “Easy Rider,” to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJon Bernthal has played cops, criminals, and everything in between. But his role in the HBO limited series “We Own This City” presented a new challenge for the celebrated actor.The series is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Justin Fenton.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Euphoria” has come to be known for its over-the-top, well, everything. But one actor on the show who has managed to bring a grounded realness to every scene he is in is Colman Domingo.Domingo, who plays the guest star role of Rue’s sponsor Ali, says Zendaya has told him how thankful she is when it’s time to work with him, as the scenes with him are so different than others she does on the series.“It’s not as wild and colorful and glitzy,” Domingo tells Variety.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWelcome to Variety’s Writer Family Tree. In this series, we take an established showrunner and look back on some of the shows they have created and the writers that have worked for them. Many of those writers have since gone on to successful careers of their own and have carried lessons from those early days in the writers’ room along with them.In our inaugural entry, we take a look at Bill Lawrence, the co-creator of “Ted Lasso” and creator of “Scrubs,” who also co-created “Cougar Town,” “Spin City” and “Clone High.” Variety spoke with Lawrence as well as several successful writers who have worked with him on his various shows.