Fremantle, Graphic Novel Publisher AWA Studios Strike Development Deal for TV Projects

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large“I remember damage.” That haunting quote, from the novel “Station Eleven,” by Emily St. John Mandel, becomes an ongoing theme in the TV series of the same name, adapted by Patrick Somerville for HBO Max.

EXCLUSIVE: Amber Ruffin and her writing/producing partner Jenny Hagel are expanding their relationship with NBCUniversal.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Nine Perfect Strangers” is nearing a deal to return for Season 2 at Hulu, Variety has learned from sources.With the announcement, Season 1 of the series will now compete in the drama series category in this year’s awards race. The move will avoid the controversy that arose from fellow Nicole Kidman-David E. Kelley series “Big Little Lies,” which won multiple statuettes in the limited series category before a second season was announced.At this time, no casting or plot info is available about Season 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Condon, who has exec produced series including HBO’s Bored To Death and USA Network’s Dare Me, has struck a development deal with Fremantle and has set her sights on her first couple of projects.

EXCLUSIVE: James Scott McKnight, who spent seven years as Chief Creative Officer at J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, overseeing the Harry Potter franchise, is stepping into his own universe.

Naman Ramachandran Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based media giant RTL Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenues of €1.56 billion ($1.64 billion) for the first quarter of 2022, a growth of 11.3%.The RTL Group has interests in 67 television channels, 10 streaming platforms and 38 radio stations. The group’s content business, Fremantle, is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including “American Idol,” “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”Fremantle revenues are up 6.5% to €461 million (Q1/2021: €433 million) with the stated target of full-year revenue of €3 billion by 2025 on track.

Disney Branded Television will bring Shawn Amos’ debut novel Cookies & Milk to screen with an animated series currently in development. The project hails from Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland of Cinema Gypsy Productions (black-ish), Jesse Murphy and James Sears Bryant of Jesse James Films and Shawn Amos.

EXCLUSIVE: British-American filmmaker Sacha Gervasi (My Dinner with Hervé) has signed with Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment for management.

We’ve seen a lot of actors cross over into the world of directing and the latest name to make the jump is Blake Lively (“The Town“). She’s landed a high-profile genre project that will see her collaborate with an unlikely screenwriter.

Actress Blake Lively (A Simple Favor) is mounting an adaptation of the graphic novel Seconds for Searchlight Pictures, in her feature directorial debut, Deadline can confirm.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCartoon Network Studios and NFL alumnus Trevor Pryce’s animation studio have teamed up on a content development deal designed to discover emerging creators and artists from underrepresented communities, Variety has learned exclusively.Pryce’s Mid-Atlantic-region-focused Outlook Company will host the initiative out of its recently formed animated projects incubator Neru Projects. The program will launch with six local participants who will have creative executives at Cartoon Network Studios and Neru Projects to shepherd their ideas from concept to pitch through the development of a series bible.Per Cartoon Network Studios, “At least one project will be selected to begin formal development at Cartoon Network Studios and Outlook Company but, through the program, all participants will learn how to collaborate with creative partners to develop and package their original animated series ideas.” The inaugural group for the development program includes these six individuals, who “represent diversity in race, gender, and age and will use their unique perspectives to shine a light on their homes, communities, and personal experiences through animation”:“Elevating original and diverse creative voices is one of our top priorities at Cartoon Network Studios,” Sam Register, president of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros.

American Gods producer Fremantle has struck a strategic development deal with the film and TV arm of graphic fiction company AWA, whose backers include James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and his sibling Elisabeth’s production firm Sister.

Last year, few movies threw audiences for a loop like Michael Sarnoski‘s feature debut, “Pig.” Nicolas Cage stars in the film as a reclusive truffle hunter who returns to Portland, where he was once a renowned chef, to figure out who stole his beloved foraging pig. Many expected another unhinged Cage performance, but instead, “Pig” showcases Cage at his most understated in a quiet film about grief and loss that expertly subverts its revenge set-up.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Sarnoski is set to write and direct the feature film adaptation of Sabrina, which is based on the Nick Drnaso’s graphic novel of the same name, from New Regency and RT Features. New Regency is producing alongside RT Feature’s Rodrigo Teixeira. New Regency will finance the project. Sources close to Sarnoski say this will not be his next film as he is expected to make the A Quiet Place spin-off his next directing gig.

K.J. Yossman Originating as a Tumblr webcomic by U.K. writer and illustrator Alice Oseman, upcoming Netflix series “Heatstopper” tells the story of two British teenagers, Nick and Charlie, who navigate their friendship as their feelings turn romantic.Patrick Walters, head of development at production company See-Saw, first came across the queer comic in 2018 when Oseman launched a Kickstarter campaign from her bedroom to turn the series into a graphic novel, and immediately knew it was crying out for an on-screen adaptation.Four years and one pandemic later, “Heartstopper” will drop on Netflix on Friday, April 22.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMelissa Stark clearly knows the value of staying in touch.The veteran sportscaster served as the sideline reporter for “Monday Night Football” between 2000 and 2002, when she was just 26 and the game — then one of TV’s biggest weekly events — was still broadcast on ABC. She worked with everyone from the legendary TV executive Don Ohlmeyer to “MNF” announcers like John Madden and Dennis Miller —  and with Fred Gaudelli, the producer who would move on to work for NBC Sports and oversee “Sunday Night Football,” then all of NBC’s NFL coverage.

EXCLUSIVE: Tattoo Artist Katrina “Kat Tat” Jackson, best known for starring in Black Ink Crew; Chicago on VH1, has signed a first look, development and executive producer deal with Paramount. Jackson will develop and EP original content for the studio in collaboration with her production company, Enigma Entertainment Group.