George R.R. Martin’s ‘Wild Cards’ Series Moves to Peacock From Hulu

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWWE and NBCUniversal have signed a new multi-year deal that will keep NXT on USA Network. In addition, NXT will be moving from Wednesday to Tuesday nights beginning April 13.Speaking with Variety, WWE executive vice president of global talent strategy and development Paul Levesque said that the decision to initially have the show on Wednesdays was to keep things consistent with its original timeslot on WWE Network.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmanda Seyfried has signed on to play Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the Hulu series “The Dropout.”Seyfried takes over the role from Kate McKinnon, whose exit from the project was reported in February. The series tells the story of Holmes, the enigmatic Stanford dropout who founded medical testing start-up Theranos.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series at Disney Plus is preparing to begin production, with the series also adding several new cast members.Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie have all joined series lead Ewan McGregor, who will reprise the role of Kenobi from the “Star Wars” prequel films.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGeorge R.R. Martin is staying in business with HBO, with the author signing a massive five-year overall deal with the premium cabler.The deal will see Martin develop new projects for both HBO and HBO Max.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Witcher: Blood Origin,” the “Witcher” prequel series currently in the works at Netflix, has cast Laurence O’Fuarain in a lead role.Set in an elven world 1200 years before the events of “The Witcher,” “Blood Origin” will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.O’Fuarain will star as Fjall.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJason Segel has been cast as Paul Westhead in the HBO series about the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s.The untitled series was ordered at HBO in December 2019.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBo Burnham has been cast as Boston Celtics star Larry Bird in HBO’s upcoming series about the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s.The untitled series was ordered at HBO in December 2019. It is described as chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties, in what came to be called the Showtime Era.Bird is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Rival Peak,” the first-ever interactive AI reality series, has ended on Facebook Watch with more than 100 million minutes watched over the course of its 12-week season.The show hailed from dj2 Entertainment, Pipeworks Studios, and Genvid Technologies. It attracted viewers from over 70 countries, with the biggest audiences coming from the U.S., India, Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWWE is set to shift its ThunderDome residency to its third location thus far. The sports entertainment company announced Wednesday it will move ThunderDome to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida starting April 12.The WWE had been set up at Tampa’s Tropicana Field since December, and previously established the ThunderDome model at the Amway Center in Orlando in August.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNaomie Harris has signed on for a lead role in “The Man Who Fell to Earth” series at Showtime, Variety has learned.Harris joins previously announced series lead Chiwetel Ejiofor. The show 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 ReporterHulu has ordered the animated comedy “Koala Man” to series.The series hails creator and executive producer Michael Cusack, with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez onboard as executive producers and showrunners. “Rick and Morty” and “Solar Opposites” co-creator Justin Roiland will also executive produce along with Princess Pictures and Bento Box.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBen Hardy has been cast in the upcoming BBC One, HBO Max series “The Girl Before,” Variety has learned exclusively.Hardy joins previously announced cast members David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessica Plummer. The four-episode series is based on the book of the same name by J.P.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJamie Foxx will play boxing great Mike Tyson in a new biographical limited series, Variety has learned.The series, titled simply “Tyson,” is not currently set up at a network or streaming service, but will no doubt find one quickly given the names attached to it already.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatasha Lyonne will star in a mystery series for Peacock that hails from Rian Johnson.Johnson will serve as writer, director and executive producer on the one-hour series, which is titled “Poker Face,” with Lyonne executive producing in addition to starring. Peacock has ordered 10 episodes.“I’m very excited to dig into the type of fun, character driven, case-of-the-week mystery goodness I grew up watching,” Johnson said.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWill Forte is attached to star in a drama series in development at Peacock from Harry and Jack Williams.Titled “Expiration Date,” the series is described as a dark suburban soap about Robin (Forte), who, consumed by grief, finds a life insurance policy that covers suicide, provided that the individual doesn’t carry out the deed within one year.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLucy Hale has signed on for a starring role in the AMC-Alibi series “Ragdoll,” Variety has learned exclusively.In the six-episode show, which was ordered to series back in February, six people have been murdered, dismembered, and sewn into the shape of one grotesque body — nicknamed the “Ragdoll.” Assigned to the shocking case are DS Nathan Wolf, recently reinstated to the London Met; his best friend and boss, DI Emily Baxter; and the unit’s new recruit, DC Lake Edmunds

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJosh Holloway is set to star in the HBO Max series “Duster,” which hails from co-writers LaToya Morgan and J.J. Abrams, Variety has learned from sources.Set in the 1970’s Southwest, “Duster” explores the life of a getaway driver for a growing crime syndicate.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe drama series about the Dan Brown character Robert Langdon has been ordered to series, but not at NBC as originally planned.The series has been picked up at NBCU streamer Peacock.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDavid Simon and George Pelecanos are returning to HBO — and Baltimore — with a limited series based on the true story of the infamous Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force, Variety has learned from sources.Simon and Pelecanos will write and executive produce the drama, which is titled “We Own This City.” It is based on the book of the same name by journalist Justin Fenton.HBO declined to comment.The series brings Simon and Pelecanos back to the streets of Baltimore, with the

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming NBC drama series “La Brea” has added four new castmembers.Eoin Macken, Jack Martin, Jon Seda, and Lily Santiago have all joined the series. They join previously announced cast members Natalie Zea, Zyra Gorecki and Chiké Okonkwo.In the show, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father and daughter.