Billy Crystal to Lead Apple Limited Series ‘Before’ With Barry Levinson Directing

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDavid Arquette and Elizabeth Marvel are the latest additions to the cast of Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez’s Peacock drama series “Mrs. Davis.” In addition, Alethea Jones (“Rise of the Pink Ladies,” “Evil”) has boarded the series to executive produce and to direct multiple episodes.Arquette and Marvel join previously announced cast members Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen, Ben Chaplin and Margo Martindale.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Apple series “The Changeling” has added Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring to the cast, Variety has learned.The role will mark Herring’s acting debut. He joins previously announced series lead LaKeith Stanfield in the series, along with cast members Adina Porter and Clark Backo.“The Changeling” is based on the book of the same name by Victor LaValle.

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 ReporterKate Winslet is returning to HBO, with the acclaimed actress set to star in a limited series for the network based on Hernan Diaz’s novel “Trust.”The rights to the novel were acquired by HBO in a competitive situation. The series is currently in development with the search on for a writer to adapt the book for the screen.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Jason Momoa-led Apple series “See” will conclude with its upcoming third season.The announcement was made with the release of the Season 3 teaser trailer and premiere date. The eight-episode final season of the show will debut its first episode on Aug.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTaylor Sheridan is stepping in as showrunner on his Paramount+ series “Lioness,” Variety has learned exclusively.Thomas Brady (“NOS4A2,” “Hell on Wheels”) was originally attached as showrunner and was present throughout the show’s writers’ room. But once the writers’ room wrapped, sources say creative differences led to the producers and Brady agreeing to part ways. Production on the show is slated to begin in September.Sheridan created “Lioness” under his expansive overall deal with Paramount.

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 ReporterDavid Oyelowo is set to star in a dramedy series that is nearing a pickup order at Apple, Variety has learned exclusively.The show is titled “Government Cheese” and is based on the short film of the same name made by Paul Hunter. Hunter serves as co-creator on the series version with Aeysha Carr (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Carmichael Show”).“Government Cheese” follows Hampton Chambers (Oyelowo), a man recently released from prison who struggles to keep his criminal past at bay and win back his family, all while processing moments of divine intervention that seem to happen with increasing frequency.Hunter and Oyelowo originally brought the short film to MACRO and Apple, which will serve as co-studios on the series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock is developing an American adaptation of the Australian comedy series “Laid” with Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna.Khan and Bradford McKenna will serve as writers and executive producers on the project. It follows a woman who finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways. In investigating their deaths, she must come to terms with her complicated past.Khan executive produces the show via Fierce Baby Productions along with Jennifer Carreras.  John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment also executive produce along with Liz Watts, Marieke Hardy and Kirsty Fisher of Porchlight Films.

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 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 ReporterEthan Hawke will star in and executive produce a limited series currently in development at Showtime, Variety has confirmed.The series is titled “The Whites” and is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price. It begins with the idea that every detective is haunted by their White Whale, the perpetrator who got away because the justice system failed. Billy Graves (Hawke), once a rising star in his department and former member of a group of well-respected cops called the “Wild Geese,” walks away from NYPD Homicide and joins the Nightwatch division, where his cases end when he clocks out— but his past comes calling when a seemingly straightforward murder case involving a White Whale unfolds, threatening his career, enduring friendships, and family.

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 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 ReporterThe Netflix drama series “The Brothers Sun” has set its main cast, which includes Michelle Yeoh, Variety has learned.Yeoh will star alongside series regulars Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Highdee Kuan, and Joon Lee. Alice Jewkin, Jon Xue Zhang,  Jenny Yang, Madison Hu, and Rodney To will appear in recurring roles.The show was ordered to series at Netflix back in February with an eight-episode pickup. It is set in Los Angeles and Taiwan and features an all-Asian writers room and all-Asian cast.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCarlos Valdes will star opposite Mae Whitman in the upcoming Hulu series “Up Here.”The series received an eight-episode order at Hulu back in January. It is described as a musical romantic comedy set in New York City in the waning days of 1999.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJason Woliner’s upcoming Peacock series has added five new cast members.Rosanna Arquette (“Florida Man,” “Love is Love is Love”), Melinda McGraw (“Mad Men,” “The Dark Knight”) Frank Grillo (“Kingdom,” “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”), Dennis Haysbert (“Lucifer,” “The Unit”), and Dee Wallace (“E.T.,” “Cujo”) are all set to star in the untitled project.The show was ordered straight-to-series at Peacock in May. The show is said to mix fact and fiction to tell a bizarre and incredible tale, per the official description. No other plot details are available at this time.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLesley Manville is set to appear in Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming Apple series “Disclaimer,” Variety has learned exclusively.Manville joins previously announced series leads Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in the series, as well as cast members Sacha Baron Cohen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Hoyeon, and Louis Partridge.Based on the novel of the same name by Renee Knight, Blanchett will star as Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When an intriguing novel written by a widower (Kline) appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realize she is a key character in a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Dead Boy Detectives” series at HBO Max has brought on Beth Schwartz to serve as co-showrunner and executive producer, Variety has learned exclusively.Schwartz will now co-showrun the series with Steve Yockey. This is not the first time Schwartz has been at the helm of a show based on a DC property, as she served as the showrunner on the final two seasons of “Arrow” at The CW.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has formally ordered the drama series “Sugar” starring Colin Farrell to series, Variety has learned.It was first reported in December 2021 that Apple had won the rights to the series in a competitive situation, though it had not officially been ordered to series at that time.Exact plot details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.Mark Protosevich (“The Cell,” “I Am Legend,” “Thor”) serves as writer and executive producer on the project. Farrell will executive produce in addition to starring. Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” “Two Popes”) will direct and executive produce.