‘Hawkeye’ Alum Fra Fee Joins ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Prequel Series at Disney Plus (EXCLUSIVE)

Rita Ora has landed a role in Disney+’s Beauty and the Beast prequel series!

British pop star Rita Ora is joining Disney+’s Beauty and the Beast prequel series.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSinger/songwriter Rita Ora has joined the cast of Disney Plus’ upcoming ‘Beauty and The Beast’ prequel. The news was announced Monday during Disney Branded Television’s session at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. On the “Beauty and the Beast” (working title) prequel, Ora will star as “a fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with her a secret that could potentially affect an entire kingdom.” She joins a cast that includes Josh Gad, Luke Evans, Briana Middleton, Fra Fee and Jelani Alladin.Gad also serves as an executive producer and co-showrunner, along with Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming FX limited series “The Patient” has cast Alex Rich in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively.Rich joins previously announced series leads Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson as well as cast members Linda Emond, Laura Niemi, and Andrew Leeds in the series, which hails from “The Americans” duo Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields.In the half-hour series, a psychotherapist (Carell) finds himself held prisoner by a serial killer (Gleeson) with an unusual request: curb his homicidal urges. But unwinding the mind of this man while also dealing with the waves of his own repressed troubles creates a journey perhaps as treacherous as his captivity.Rich previously appeared in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series “GLOW” in the role of Florian, the butler and best friend of Sebastian “Bash” Howard.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming “American Born Chinese” series adaptation at Disney Plus has found its main cast, Variety has confirmed.Ben Wang, Michelle Yeoh, Yeo Yann Yann, Daniel Wu, Chin Han, Ke Huy Quan, Jim Liu, and Sydney Taylor will all star in the series, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.The series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When Jin meets a new foreign exchange student (Jim Liu) on the first day of school, their worlds collide as Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCatherine Zeta-Jones has been cast in the upcoming “National Treasure” series at Disney Plus, Variety has learned.Zeta-Jones joins previously announced cast members Lisette Alexis, Zuri Reed, Jordan Rodrigues, Antonio Cipriano, and Jake Austin Walker, and Lyndon Smith in the series continuation of the film franchise of the same name. Production is set to begin this month in Baton Rouge, LA.The series focuses on a young heroine, Jess (Alexis), a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.Zeta-Jones will portray Billie, described as a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe new “Goosebumps” TV series has been picked up by Disney Plus, Variety has learned exclusively.The new series version of the beloved R.L. Stine books was first reported as being in the works in April 2020. Disney Plus has given the show a 10-episode order.The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together – thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries, and pasts with each other – in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman serve as writers and executive producers on the show, with Stoller executive producing via Stoller Global Solutions.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDisney Branded Television has brought on Charlie Andrews to serve as executive vice president of live-action and alternative series, Variety has learned.Andrews joins Disney Branded TV from Fox Entertainment, where he most recently worked as head of drama development for the broadcaster before exiting in December. Andrews will begin in his new role on Feb.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe new “Orphan Black” series in the works at AMC has found its writer.Variety has learned exclusively that Anna Fishko is onboard to write and executive produce the potential new iteration of the series, which was first reported as being in the works back in 2019. A writers’ room for the project is now open, though exact plot details remain under wraps.It is known, however, that the project is not a reboot of the original show, but rather a new story set in the same world.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “LA Law” sequel series pilot at ABC has added John Harlan Kim to its cast, Variety has learned exclusively.The new iteration of the Emmy-winning series features familiar characters working alongside new ones on the most hot button issues of the day.Kim joins previously announced returning original series cast members Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen. Kim will star as Chad Park, an up-and-coming attorney at the firm described as a “shark-in-training” whose ambition sometimes gets ahead of his ethical standards.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBill Nighy has signed on to star in the upcoming Showtime series version of “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Variety has learned.Nighy joins previously announced cast members Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, Annelle Olaleye, Kate Mulgrew and Clarke Peters in the series.Based on the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the film that starred David Bowie, the series will follow a new alien character named Faraday (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.Nighy will play Thomas Newton, the main character of the novel and the character played by Bowie in the film version. Newton was the first alien to arrive on earth over 40 years ago. Alone and desperate, Newton summons Faraday to complete his original mission.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“SEAL Team” has been renewed for Season 6 at Paramount Plus.This will now be the second season of the military drama to air on the streaming service, as the show moved over to Paramount Plus from CBS for Season 5.“We are very excited to welcome ‘SEAL Team’ back for another season on Paramount+,” said Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Plus Original Scripted Series. “The show’s loyal fanbase followed the series to its new exclusive home, and it has proven to be a high-performing title for the service, consistently in the top 10 most-watched original series.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Mayor of Kingstown” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount Plus.The first season of the drama series debuted in November, with the season finale airing on Jan. 9. The first two episodes of the series also aired on Paramount Network immediately after “Yellowstone.” The series premiere drew 2.6 million viewers on the linear network, with the second episode drawing 2.1 million.The series follows the McLusky family – power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterParamount Plus has announced the cast for the upcoming series “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.”The musical series takes place four years before the original “Grease” in 1954. Before rock ‘n’ roll ruled, before the T-Birds were the coolest in the school, four fed-up outcasts dare to have fun on their own terms, sparking a moral panic that will change Rydell High forever.The cast includes: Marisa Davila as Jane, Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia, Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia, Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy, Shanel Bailey as Hazel, Madison Thompson as Susan, Johnathan Nieves as Richie, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally and Jackie Hoffman as Asst. Principal McGee.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has set seven cast members for the upcoming comedy thriller series “The Resort,” Variety has learned.Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nina Bloomgarden, and Gabriela Cartol will all appear in series regular roles, while Debby Ryan, Dylan Baker, Michael Hitchcock and Becky Ann Baker will recur. The show is described as a multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when the couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Mayan Riviera’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries that took place fifteen years prior.Méndez (“Narcos: Mexico,” “Murder Mystery”) will play Baltasar Frías, the head of security at the Oceana Vista Resort in 2007.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Santa Clause” series at Disney Plus has brought on Elizabeth Mitchell to reprise her role from the film franchise, Variety has confirmed.The series, which was announced on Jan. 14, will see Tim Allen once again play Santa Claus/Scott Calvin. Mitchell will play Scott’s wife, Carol Calvin, a.k.a.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAdam Brody, Maxim Jasper Swinton, and Meara Mahoney Gross have all been cast in the upcoming FX limited series “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” Variety has learned.The trio joins previously announced cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, and Claire Danes. Based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s novel of the same name, the series centers on recently separated forty-something Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), who dives into the brave new world of app-based dating with the kind of success he never had dating in his youth, before he got married at the tail-end of medical school.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Vampire Diaries” creators Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson are teaming up again on the supernatural drama series “Dead Day” at Peacock.Based on the AfterShock comic book series of the same name, “Dead Day” has been given a straight-to-series order at the NBCU streaming service. Plec and Williamson will serve as writers, executive producers, and co-showrunners on the series.“We have been looking for a project to do together and ‘Dead Day’ has all the ingredients we love as storytellers,” said Plec and Williamson.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series has officially been picked up at Disney Plus, Variety has learned.The series adaptation of the Rick Riordan book series was first reported as being in the works at the streamer back in May 2020. Casting is currently underway on the series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAlyssa Milano is attached to executive produce a series adaptation of Dr. Connie Mariano’s memoir “The White House Doctor” that is in development at Fox, Variety has learned.Per the show’s logline, the White House doctor is known as the “Shadow of the President.” Whether in the ER-like Medical Unit in the White House itself or traveling abroad, she‘s as close to the President as the Secret Service.