David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Bass Reeves’ Series at Paramount+ Casts Barry Pepper (EXCLUSIVE)

Jason Clarke, Scott Eastwood and Chaske Spencer will star together in “Wind River: The Next Chapter,” the sequel to Taylor Sheridan’s “Wind River,” for Castle Rock Entertainment.Kari Skogland (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Americans”) will direct from a screenplay by writing partners Patrick Massett and John Zinman (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “Friday Night Lights”).Starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, the 2017 Taylor Sheridan crime drama followed a seasoned hunter who helped an FBI agent investigate the killing of a young woman living on a Wyoming Native American reservation. The sequel also takes place on the Wind River resevation, where a series of ritualistic murders remain unsolved.

Jason Clarke (Winning Time), Scott Eastwood (The Outpost) and Chaske Spencer (The English) have signed on to star alongside Martin Sensmeier in Wind River: The Next Chapter — Castle Rock Entertainment’s sequel to the acclaimed 2017 crime drama Wind River, which is currently in production in Calgary.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Shea Whigham has been cast in a recurring guest star role in the “Bass Reeves” series currently in production for Paramount+, Variety has learned. David Oyelowo stars in the series based on the life of the titular legendary law man. The series also stars Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, Grantham Coleman, and Demi Singleton. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, 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.”

Chris Rock returned to the stage for his hotly anticipated live Netflix special, , on Saturday, and many of his friends and admirers in the comedy world showered him with praise ahead of the live event.ET was on the carpet at the stand-up show and live viewing event at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday, and spoke with a few of the comedy legends who came out to the big show.«This is like the Super Bowl of comedy,» Arsenio Hall shared, referring to the groundbreaking live-streaming set Rock delivered on Netflix. star Deon Cole shared similar sentiments about the special, explaining, «This is something that has never been done before, and this is something that's gonna change the game for comedy... This is a historic moment.»«It feels, for some reason to me, a little bit like a heavyweight fight,» Dana Carvey shared. «If feels anticipatory.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, 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.”

BreAnna Bell Doug Bradley (“Hellraiser”) has been added to the cast of The CW’s “Gotham Knights” series, the network announced on Wednesday. Bradley will appear in Episode 6 of Gotham Knights as Joe Chill, one of DC Comics’ most notorious villains known for cruelly killing Bruce Wayne’s parents. After fifty years of rotting on death row, Joe Chill is scheduled to be executed. However, Gotham’s infamous “Patron Saint of Bad Guys” isn’t about to let his secrets die with him. “When casting the iconic role of Joe Chill, arguably the man who created Batman, there was only one name we considered – Doug Bradley. We needed an actor with the kind of gravitas that would do justice to such a seminal character in DC Comics canon,” said series co-creators Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams in a statement. “And who better to embody the role of the classic Gotham fiend than the man whose legendary portrayal of another classic fiend – Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise — continues to terrify generations of horror fans?”

EXCLUSIVE: Sigourney Weaver has joined the cast of Apple Original Films and Skydance’s The Gorge starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. Scott Derrickson is on board to direct with Zach Dean penning the script, which he sold on spec to Skydance last year. In addition to starring, Teller will serve as executive producer on the film.

EXCLUSIVE: Grantham Coleman (Rustin) is the newest addition to the Paramount+ limited series Bass Reeves, exec produced by and starring David Oyelowo.

K.J. Yossman Apple TV+ have set a new soccer documentary, “Real Madrid: Until The End,” which is introduced by David Beckham. The three-part series, about iconic soccer team Real Madrid, goes behind the scenes to explore their incredible 2021-22 season. “Fueled by their fervent fans, they defy the odds and skeptics on their way to one of the most memorable finishes in football history, culminating in a record 14th Champions League title,” reads the logline. “The path to a 14th title has never been steeper,” Beckham says in the trailer. “Many doubted it but not this coach, not these players and definitely not these fans. This is no ordinary club. This is Real Madrid.” Beckham himself played for the club between 2003 and 2007.

Victoria and David Beckham are said to be “horrified” and “embarrassed” after intimate details of their son Brooklyn’s wedding were revealed as part of a bitter lawsuit. Less than a year after Brooklyn, who turns 24 this week, married Nicola Peltz, 28, at her family’s £76 million mansion in Palm Beach, her father Nelson filed a lawsuit against their wedding planners, Nicole Braghin and Arianna Grijalba from Plan Design Events, claiming they had refused to refund his $159,000 deposit. “After launching legal action against the wedding planners, Nicola’s father is determined for this lawsuit to go ahead,” our source says.

Easing fans’ concerns. Yellowstone star Wes Bentley reacted to rumors that Kevin Costner plans to leave the series — and he doesn’t think viewers need to worry about the show’s future.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Apple has given a series order to the drama “The Last Frontier” with Jason Clarke set to play the lead role, Variety has learned. The series hails from creators Jon Bokenkamp, who previously created the hit NBC series “The Blacklist,” and Richard D’Ovidio, who previously worked with Bokenkamp on the 2013 film “The Call” as well as on “The Blacklist” and “The Blacklist: Redemption.” In the 10-episode series, Clarke will star as US Marshal Frank Remnick, the lone Marshal in the barrens of Alaska. Per the official logline, “Frank’ s jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with international political implications.”

The Paramount Global operation under Chris McCarthy continues to shift finished series to Showtime, which was added to his portfolio in November. The Waco sequel, Waco: The Aftermath, which had been produced for Paramount+, will now be carried by Showtime –debuting on streaming and on demand Friday, April 14, and on-air Sunday, April 16, at 10 PM.

Katie Reul editor Sam Elliott, the mustachioed actor best known for roles in “1883,” “A Star Is Born” and “The Big Lebowski,” sat on Variety‘s Talks, presented by Paramount+, for a meditation on endings and beginnings throughout his long career. Born and raised in Sacramento, Elliott explained his love for filmmaking developed as a result of frequent visits to The Sequoia, his local theater. At the age of 9, he saw “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954), which he credits as a major source of inspiration in committing to acting: “I wanted to make an audience feel what that magic was doing up there,” Elliott said. A deep dive through the Variety archives yielded insight on the first time Elliott’s name ever appeared in print. Elliott shared a laugh with Cynthia Littleton, Variety Co-Editor in Chief, when she surprised him with a copy of his first-ever reference in Variety, a two-line item from the April 16, 1968, edition noting that he signed to be a contract player for 20th Century Fox, in the waning days of Old Hollywood.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos have been cast in the lead roles of the upcoming Amazon series “The Sticky,” Variety has learned exclusively. The show was originally ordered at Amazon back in April 2022. As previously reported, the series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The real heist involved the theft of $18 million dollars (CAD) of of Quebec’s national maple syrup, which is more than 70% of the global maple syrup supply. Per the official logline for the half-hour comedy series, “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Clarke (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a local blockhead and Mike Byrne (Diamantopoulos), a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.”

Emiliano De Pablos Banijay’s Endemol Shine Israel and Munich-based producer Neuesuper (“8 Days”) have inked German adaptation rights to Israeli hit comedy series “Nevsu,” to air on public broadcaster ZDF.  Israel’s “Nevsu” won the International Emmy Award for best comedy series in 2018. Its German adaptation, “I Don’t Work Here,” sees three generations from two worlds come together to form one family. Revolving around Laura and Dawit, a young multi-racial couple, and their daughter, the pair are battling living with her parents and facing huge scrutiny from her mother-in-law. 

The cast of Taylor Sheridan‘s 1883: The Bass Reeves Story is filling out!

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired the North American rights for suspense sci-fi thriller “I’ll Be Watching” from Iuvit Media Sales at the European Film Market in Berlin. The film has also been picked up by Falcon Films in the Middle East and North Africa, while Dolphin Medien has taken German-speaking territory rights. The film is directed by Erik Bernard (“Free Dead or Alive”), and stars “The 100” stars Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley, along with Bryan Batt (“12 Years a Slave”), David Keith (“An Officer and a Gentleman”), Hannah Fierman (“VHS”), and Seth Michaels (“Red Notice”).

Yellowstone is known for its over-the-top plot lines and complicated family drama, but the show’s cast and crew has also been involved in plenty of offscreen controversy over the years.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lindy Booth is the latest cast member to join Sam Esmail’s “Metropolis” series adaptation at Apple, Variety has learned. Booth is now the second confirmed cast member for the series alongside Briana Middleton. Exact plot details for the show are being kept under wraps aside from the fact that it is inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang sci-fi film of the same name, which has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential films of the silent film era. Booth will appear in the role of Maria. Booth is best known for her starring role in the TNT series “The Librarians,” which was a spinoff of TNT’s “The Librarian” film series. The show ran for four seasons at the cable network. Booth is also known for recent appearances in shows like “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “The Flash,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Stumptown.” She has appeared in films like Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” and “Kick Ass 2” as well.