David E. Kelley Lands Straight-To-Series Order For Adaptation Of Michael Connelly’s ‘Avalon’ At ABC

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has ordered a new pilot for the drama about the National Parks Investigative Services Branch, Variety has learned.The broadcaster commissioned a pilot for the project last year as well with a different creative team, though it ultimately did not go forward. The original team included Kevin Costner as co-writer and executive producer, but Costner is no longer attached to the project in any capacity.Instead, Rashad Raisani is writing and executive producing the pilot, which is described as a propulsive, soapy procedural set in the stunning world of National Parks.

Netflix is in early development on a scripted series inspired by the rock band U2, sources close to the project confirmed to Deadline. It hails from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions, and Warner Bros. TV, where Bad Robot is under a deal. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody) is attached to pen the series.

Jessica Biel turns into an infamous true crime killer in the first trailer for Hulu’s “Candy”.

Wilson Chapman editorJessica Biel is stepping into the shoes of one of true crime’s most notorious killers in the first trailer for Hulu’s “Candy.”Biel stars in the series as Candy Montgomery, a seemingly normal housewife in small town Wylie, Tex., who was convicted in 1980 for the brutal axe murder of her neighbor Betty Gore, played in the show by Melanie Lynskey.The teaser trailer shows Biel transform into Candy, with curly hair and large rimmed-glasses. Footage of her going about her daily life in suburbia is juxtaposed with narration from her trial, as a lawyer played by Raúl Esparza (“Hannibal”) questions her about her relationship with Betty.“I had no angry feelings towards her if that’s what the question is,” Biel says in the trailer.

One affair could unravel Sienna Miller’s entire life in “Anatomy of a Scandal.”

Television magnate David E. Kelley has the Midas touch.

EXCLUSIVE: David E. Kelley is exploring the issue of climate change and its impact on the oceans in a new docuseries.

Andrew Barker Senior Features WriterWhen the Directors Guild of America’s annual awards gets underway March 12, there will be a number of changes from years previous. Most obviously, the ceremony will finally be held in person at the Beverly Hilton, after two straight years of virtual celebrations.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has ordered two seasons of an animated comedy from Ramy Youssef, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is part of new first-look deal Youssef and his Cairo Cowboy production banner have signed with the streamer.Youssef leads Cairo Cowboy with Andy Campagna, the former senior vice president of television for Sam Esmail’s Esmail Corp.“Ramy has only scratched the surface of his incredible creative gifts,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television for Amazon.

Pete Davidson is set to play a fictionalised version of himself in comedy series, Bupkis.The series is co-written by Davidson and frequent collaborator Dave Sirus, along with Judah Miller (Crashing, American Dad!). It comes from Universal Television and Saturday Night Live showrunner Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.According to Deadline, Bupkis is described as a “raw” and “unflinching” version of Davidson’s real life, which will include a “mixture of grounded storytelling with absurd elements”.The show has been compared to Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which depicts a semi-fictionalised version of the Seinfeld co-creator as a semi-retired TV writer.Bupkis has yet to find an official home but it’s being pitched to streaming services.Davidson, who has been a SNL cast member since 2014, is on a leave of absence from the series to pursue other projects.

Pete Davidson will be starring in his own TV series, playing… Pete Davidson.

Breeda Wool (Mass) is set for a key recurring role opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in National Treasure, Disney Branded Television’s TV series for Disney+ produced by ABC Signature. The project, executive produced by the films’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Jon Turteltaub and writers Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, is an expansion of the National Treasure movie franchise told from the point of view of young heroine Jess (Lisette Alexis) — a DREAMer in search of answers about her family — who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about the past and save a lost Pan-American treasure. Wool will play Kacey, a sarcastic, kick-ass henchwoman and Billie’s (Zeta-Jones) second-in-command. Wool co-stars in the critically acclaimed film, Mass, directed by Fran Kranz, and also stars in the soon-to-be-released, Ultrasound, from Magnolia Pictures. She previously starred in the Stephen King series, Mr. Mercedes from David E. Kelley. Most recently she wrapped a starring role on the film, Detained, opposite Abbie Cornish. She is repped by Bold Management & Production, Innovative Artists Agency, and attorney Karl Austen.

Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem has scored a ten-episode series order at Hulu.

Sam Esmail’s adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 film Metropolis is finally coming to the small screen.

Oscar and Emmy winner Barry Levinson has been tapped to direct David E. Kelley’s The Missing, Peacock’s eight-episode series based on Israeli crime writer Dror A. Mishani’s international bestselling novel The Missing File. Levinson will direct multiple episodes, including the first, and executive produce the series from Kelley, Keshet Studios and Universal Television

Selome Hailu David E. Kelley’s upcoming Peacock crime drama “The Missing” has tapped Barry Levinson to direct multiple episodes, including the first. He will also executive produce the series.“The Missing” is based on Dror A.

Antenna, a data firm tracking subscriptions in streaming and other sectors, has wrapped a $10 million Series A funding round, with backers including UTA Ventures and Dick Parsons’ Imagination Capital.

Peacock has handed a series order to Twisted Metal, a comedic half-hour live-action adaptation of the popular video game, from Sony Pictures TV, Playstation Productions and Universal Television. Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) stars and executive produces the project, first announced in September, which is written and executive produced by Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith, who will serve as showrunner. Will Arnett and Marc Forman, who secured the rights to the material and helped put the adaptation together, also executive produce via their Electric Avenue production company.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has given a straight-to-series order to the drama “Avalon” from David E. Kelley that is based on a short story by Michael Connelly.Titled “Avalon,” the series takes place in the main city of Avalon on Catalina Island, where LA Sheriff Department Detective Nicole “Nic” Searcy heads up a small office. Catalina has a local population that serves more than 1 million tourists a year, and each day when the ferries arrive, hundreds of potential new stories enter the island.