‘Game of Thrones’ Animated Series in Early Development at HBO Max

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming “Peacemaker” series at HBO Max has cast Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively.They join previously announced series lead John Cena as well as series regulars Danielle Brooks, Chris Conrad, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, and Chukwudi Iwuji.

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 ReporterThe “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” at HBO is adding four new actors to its cast.Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno are all joining the highly-anticipated prequel to the megahit HBO show.

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 ReporterHBO Max has given a two-season order to a reboot of adult animated series “Clone High,” as well as a series order to a standalone series about “Scooby-Doo” character Velma Dinkley, who will be voiced by Mindy Kaling.The announcements were part of a larger adult animation slate revealed by HBO Max on Wednesday.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe HBO Max comedy series being led by Jean Smart is rounding out its main cast.Variety has learned that the show has cast two series regulars and eight recurring guest star roles. The single-camera comedy series explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).Einbinder has been cast as Ava, the young writer that Deborah is forced to hire.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDan Harmon has set up the first series under his broadcast network-only exclusive direct animation deal with Fox Entertainment.The untitled series is set in mythical ancient Greece. It centers on a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters that tries to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA scripted GameStop film is in development at HBO.The project hails from executive producers Andrew Ross Sorkin of TBTF Productions, Len Amato of Crash&Salvage, and Jason Blum of Blumhouse Television.The film is described as exploring how a populist uprising of social media day traders beat Wall Street at their own game, turning the stock market upside down and shaking the financial world to its core.This is the latest onscreen project set up to detail the ongoing stock

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTwo new streaming players made their presence known at the 2021 Golden Globe nominations on Wednesday morning.Both Disney Plus and HBO Max scored their first nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Disney Plus picked up a nod for “The Mandalorian” in the best drama series category.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe HBO Max pilot “Verbatim” is rounding out its cast.Sara Gilbert, Rob Huebel, Leland Orser, Lyiq Bent, Tate Donovan, J.R. Cacia, and Kevin Dunn have all joined the project.

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 ReporterKatie Beth Hall has been cast in the “Head of the Class” reboot pilot at HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.She joins previously announced series lead Isabella Gomez as well as cast members Jorge Diaz, Dior Goodjohn, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Brandon Severs, and Christa Miller.The rebooted series revolves around a group of overachieving high school students who meet their greatest challenge — a teacher Alicia Adams (Gomez), who wants them to focus less on grades and

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 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 ReporterABC is developing a series adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s “Paradise” novel trilogy, with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo set to executive produce.The project is titled “Winter in Paradise,” named after the first book in the trilogy. The series focuses on Irene Steele, who shares her idyllic life in a beautiful Iowa City Victorian house with a husband who loves her to an extreme.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCraig Mazin has extended his overall deal with HBO and HBO Max for an additional three years.The news comes as little surprise, given the success Mazin has had at HBO. He previously created the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series “Chernobyl,” which detailed the aftermath of the titular Soviet nuclear disaster in 1986.

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.