Ellen Pompeo to Produce Series Adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s ‘Paradise’ Novels at ABC

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAn animated series based on the classic board game “Clue” is in development at Fox, Variety has learned.Fox Entertainment has partnered with Hasbro’s content studio eOne and Bento Box Entertainment on the series, with the three companies co-producing and Bento Box providing the animation.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIssa Rae has landed an eight-episode series order at HBO Max for the half-hour comedy “Rap Sh*t.”The project was first announced as being in development in October 2019. It follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group.Rae is writing the pilot for the series and will executive produce under her Hoorae production banner, with Montrel McKay of Hoorae also executive producing.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are developing a series adaptation of the Richard Powers novel “The Overstory” at Netflix, Variety has learned.Richard Robbins, whose past TV credits include “12 Monkeys” and “Good Girls Revolt,” wrote the pilot script and serves as executive producer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “True Lies” series adaptation has scored a pilot order at CBS, Variety has learned.Like the film of the same, an unfulfilled suburban housewife is shocked to discover that her bland and unremarkable computer consultant husband is a skilled international spy.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming “The Last of Us” series adaptation at HBO has cast Bella Ramsey in the lead role of Ellie, Variety has confirmed.Ramsey is best known for her role as Lyanna Mormont in fellow HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The character Ellie is a 14-year old orphan who has never known anything but a ravaged planet.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Yellowstone” prequel series is set at Paramount Plus under an extension of series co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s overall deal with ViacomCBS.The prequel, “Y: 1883,” follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLana Condor is set to star in and executive produce the comedy series “Boo, Bitch,” which has been ordered to series at Netflix.The role expands Condor’s relationship with the streaming giant, as she broke out in her starring role in the Netflix YA rom-com “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” She has since starred in the sequel “To All the Boys: P.S.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterChiwetel Ejiofor has been cast in the lead role of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” series currently in the works at Paramount Plus, Variety has learned.The series is based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel and the 1976 Nicolas Roeg film that starred David Bowie, both of the same name.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterStarz has ordered the period drama series “The Serpent Queen,” based on the life of Catherine de Medici.The eight-episode series is based on the book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda. Justin Haythe will write and executive produce the series, with Francis Lawrence and Erwin Stoff also executive producing.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a new one-hour drama series from Martin Gero and Brendan Gall, Variety has learned exclusively.The six-episode series is titled “Breathe.” When a small plane crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, a lone woman must battle the elements and odds to survive.Gero and Gall are co-writing and executive producing the series, with Gero executive producing under his Quinn’s House Production company. Warner Bros.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSam’s Esmail ABC drama pilot “Acts of Crime” has found its lead.Newcomer Candace Grace has been cast in the lead role in the pilot, with Josiah Cross, Peter Mark Kendall, and Molly Price also joining in series regular roles.Little is known about the plot of the show, other than being described as a unique spin on the crime procedural. Grace will star as Vivien Lamonte, a Black police detective working homicide in suburban New Jersey.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Sandman” series at Netflix has set its main cast. Tom Sturridge is officially set to star as Dream, with the show also adding Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar.The series is based on “The Sandman” comic book series created for DC by Neil Gaiman.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAn animated “Game of Thrones” series is in the very early development stages at HBO Max, Variety has confirmed with sources.There are no details available about what the focus of the potential series would be and no writers or talent are currently attached to the project.HBO Max declined to comment.Variety exclusively reported last week that a series based on George R.R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” is in the works at HBO.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“State of the Union” has been renewed for Season 2 at SundanceTV.The second season of the short form series will star Brendan Gleeson, Patricia Clarkson, and Esco Jouléy.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterElan Mastai is developing a series adaptation of his novel “All Our Wrong Todays” at Peacock with Seth MacFarlane onboard as an executive producer.The project is described as a mind bending time travel love story that explores alternate versions of ourselves in dramatically surprising and often unexpected ways.Mastai will adapt the novel for the screen.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJamie Dornan has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming limited series “The Tourist.” In addition, HBO Max has boarded the project and will co-produce along with Two Brothers Pictures as well as serve as the show’s streaming home in the U.S.Alongside Dornan, the six-episode series will star Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin, and Hugo Weaving. Filming is set to begin soon in Australia.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO is developing the third season of the hit podcast “Serial” as a limited series, with LeBron James onboard the project as an executive producer.The potential series will examine the criminal justice system at work in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple is nearing an order for the limited series “In with the Devil,” with Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser onboard to star, Variety has learned.The six-episode series would be based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Harry Potter” series is in very early development at HBO Max, Variety has learned from sources.Rumors that a show set within the wizarding world have persisted for some time. Now it seems those plans are moving ahead, though no writers or talent are currently attached to the project.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBrie Larson is set to star in and executive produce the drama series “Lessons in Chemistry,” which has landed a straight-to-series order at Apple in a competitive situation, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is based on the upcoming debut novel from author, science editor, and copywriter Bonnie Garmus.