HBO Max Orders Crime Drama ‘Duster’ From J.J. Abrams, LaToya Morgan With Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson to Star

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Paramount+ series “Lioness” has cast Bassem Youssef in a guest starring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Youssef will now appear in a cast that includes Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur, Hannah Love Lanier, Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman, and Nicole Kidman. The official logline states that the show “is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The History Channel has greenlit a range of new docuseries and documentaries that are produced by Hollywood stars like Morgan Freeman, Bradley Cooper, and Kevin Costner. The announcements were made as part of a larger A+E Networks slate reveal ahead of its 2023-2024 upfronts presentation. Additional projects hail from producers Michael Imperioli and Dan Aykroyd. Costner will host and executive produce an eight episode docuseries currently titled “Kevin Costner’s The West.” The series is said to detail how the Wild West period of American history continues to impact the country today.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Ted Danson and Mike Schur are officially reuniting for a series adaptation of the documentary “The Mole Agent” at Netflix, Variety has learned. The streaming giant has ordered eight episodes of the untitled project after it was originally reported that it was being taken out to market in early February. Per the official logline, Danson will star as Charles, “a retired man who gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a PI and becomes a mole in a secret investigation.” “The Mole Agent” was directed by Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi. It originally debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City” is no longer moving forward at Hulu, Variety has learned. The series had originally been ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022 after originally being put into development there in 2019. At the time it was ordered, Keanu Reeves was attached to star in one of the lead roles with Todd Field onboard to direct. However, Variety exclusively reported that Field had dropped out of the show in October, with Reeves also exiting. According to sources, Reeves had signed on to the series due in part to Field’s involvement, but left the show once Field did.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Mel Brooks came up with the title to his 1981 comedy feature “History of the World, Part I” as a joke. There were never any plans to make a Part II.  Until now.   As the streaming revolution took hold, Brooks, his producing partner Kevin Salter and rightsholder Searchlight Pictures decided to explore a long overdue sequel, but in series form. That’s when they contacted Nick Kroll, who’s known for his sketch comedy (in addition to the painfully funny take on adolescence “Big Mouth”), to kick around a “Part II” that was four decades not in the making.  

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max’s “The Batman” spinoff series “The Penguin” has cast Clancy Brown in a recurring role, Variety has learned. Brown joins a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell. Brown will appear as Salvatore Maroni, a notorious Gotham City crime boss. The character was referenced repeatedly in “The Batman,” as his arrest by corrupt Gotham officials and the collapse of his criminal empire allowed for Carmine Falcone’s organization to rise. Maroni has previously been portrayed onscreen by actors like David Zayas in “Gotham” at Fox and by Eric Roberts in “The Dark Knight.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Nic Pizzolatto has set up a western drama series at Amazon with a series commitment, Variety has confirmed with sources. The untitled series is said to “revolve around a former outlaw who must reckon with a threat from his past in order to keep the life and family he has worked so hard to build,” according to sources. Amazon declined to comment. Pizzolatto is best known for creating the HBO anthology drama series “True Detective,” which exploded onto the scene in 2014 with a first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson that received substantial critical and popular acclaim. Two more seasons have aired to date, with a fourth season starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis on the way. Issa López is writing Season 4 with Pizzolatto attached as an executive producer.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director What’s going on with Paramount’s “Star Trek” film franchise? Don’t ask Chris Pine, even though he’s one of its headlining stars. Pine has played Captain Kirk in three “Star Trek” movies, and he is painfully out of the loop when it comes to the long-delayed and long-overhauled fourth movie. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley developed “Star Trek 4” scripts that never got off the ground. “WandaVision” director Matt Shakman was the most recent filmmaker attached to “Star Trek 4,” but he left the project to shoot Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” reboot instead. Paramount announced last September it was removing “Star Trek 4” from its release calendar. As part of Chris Pine’s new Esquire cover story, franchise producer J.J. Abrams said the “Star Trek 4″ script is in a good place. “I will say it’s the first time [since the original reboot] that we have a story that feels as compelling as the first one,” he added. But even still, Pine is out of the loop.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has ordered the limited series “Zero Day” starring Robert De Niro in his first regular television role, Variety has learned exclusively. In addition, Lesli Linka Glatter has boarded the show and will direct and executive produce all six episodes. Variety previously reported that the series was in development at Netflix in November. It hails from writers and executive producers Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim. Per the official logline, “Zero Day” “asks the question on everyone’s mind — how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has picked up a new comedy series starring Kristen Bell from writer Erin Foster and executive producer Steven Levitan, Variety has learned. The untitled series is said to center on “the unlikely relationship between an irreverent, outspoken, agnostic woman and an unconventional rabbi.” Bell is set to play one of the lead roles, though exactly which is being kept under wraps. Foster created the series and serves as an executive producer. Bell also executive produces in addition to starring. Levitan executive produces via Steven Levitan Productions (SLP). Craig DiGregorio, Sara Foster, and Danielle Stokdyk also executive produce. Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman are executive producers for 3 Arts. 20th Television will produce in association with SLP, with the company currently under an overall deal at the studio.

Foxtel Group and Warner Bros Discovery have renewed their multi-year content agreement, under which the Australian pay-TV operator and streamer will remain the home of HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros and Discovery programming in Australia.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Zachary Quinto has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Wolf,” Variety has learned. The project was first ordered to pilot at the broadcaster back in January. It is inspired by the books “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars” by Oliver Sacks. Per the official logline, “Wolf” will follow “a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist (Quinto) and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while also grappling with their own relationships and mental health.” Quinto’s character is named Dr. Oliver Wolf. He is further described as “head of neurology at Bronx General and an obsessive genius. He’s drawn to people that society has deemed “other” and helps them find hope and purpose. He embraces differences rather than suppressing them.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming Shondaland Netflix series “The Residence” has added 11 new cast members, Variety has learned. The new cast members are: Andre Braugher, Edwina Findley, Molly Griggs, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Mary Wiseman. The group joins previously announced series lead Uzo Aduba. The official logline for the series states, “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective (Aduba). One disastrous State Dinner. ‘The Residence’ is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Apple has given a series order to the drama “The Last Frontier” with Jason Clarke set to play the lead role, Variety has learned. The series hails from creators Jon Bokenkamp, who previously created the hit NBC series “The Blacklist,” and Richard D’Ovidio, who previously worked with Bokenkamp on the 2013 film “The Call” as well as on “The Blacklist” and “The Blacklist: Redemption.” In the 10-episode series, Clarke will star as US Marshal Frank Remnick, the lone Marshal in the barrens of Alaska. Per the official logline, “Frank’ s jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with international political implications.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max is officially moving forward with the “It” prequel series currently titled “Welcome to Derry,” Variety has learned. The show was first reported as being in development in March 2022, while Variety exclusively reported that the project had attached its co-showrunners in November. As previously reported, the series was developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs. “As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s ‘It’ until the thick paperback fell to pieces,” said the Muschiettis. “‘It’ is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our ‘It’ movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Alison Brie and Jake Lacy have joined the cast of Peacock’s upcoming limited series adaptation of the Liane Moriarty novel “Apples Never Fall,” Variety has learned. The pair join previously announced cast members Annette Bening and Sam Neill in the series. The show was originally ordered at Peacock in February 2022. Per the official logline, the series “centers on the Delaneys, who from the outside appear to be an enviably contented family. Former tennis coaches Joy (Bening) and Stan (Neill) are parents to four adult children. After decades of marriage, they have finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. But after Joy disappears, her children are forced to re-examine their parents’ marriage and their family history with fresh eyes.”

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Joe Otterson TV Reporter Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos have been cast in the lead roles of the upcoming Amazon series “The Sticky,” Variety has learned exclusively. The show was originally ordered at Amazon back in April 2022. As previously reported, the series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The real heist involved the theft of $18 million dollars (CAD) of of Quebec’s national maple syrup, which is more than 70% of the global maple syrup supply. Per the official logline for the half-hour comedy series, “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Clarke (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a local blockhead and Mike Byrne (Diamantopoulos), a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Atari has signed with APA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. The pioneering video game company will work with APA to develop projects around its best known IP in the live-action, animation, and non-scripted film and television spaces. Atari celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. The company’s most well-known games include classics like “Pong,” “Asteroids,” “Centipede,” and “Missile Command.” Its games are available on PC, console, and mobile platforms. In addition to games, Atari’s core businesses also include consumer hardware, licensing, and Web3.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Daniel Sunjata has joined the cast of the drama pilot at ABC based on the French detective series “HPI,” Variety has learned. Sunjata will star in the pilot alongside previously announced lead Kaitlin Olson. The project was first ordered to pilot at ABC in September. Per the official logline, “Single mom Morgan (Olson) with three kids and an exceptional mind helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.”