Hulu Orders Series Adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey Book ‘Under the Bridge,’ Samir Mehta and Liz Tigelaar to Co-Showrun

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fox has given out an early Season 2 renewal to the Jon Hamm-led animated comedy “Grimsburg” before the show has even premiered. The announcement was made by Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment, during a MIPCOM panel moderated by Variety‘s co-editor-in-chief, Cynthia Littleton. “’Grimsburg’ is yet another clear example of our strong commitment to, and intense focus on, upholding the high bar of standards any show must exceed in order to reside under the Animation Domination banner,” Thorn said. “Of course, having Jon Hamm’s talent and star power front and center is a great place to start. Equally important, everything we’re seeing with ‘Grimsburg’ – from the very first scripts and show bible to animatics and preliminary cuts – makes us believe we have a winner on our hands that beautifully complements our animation brand.”

Hulu is in a streaming renaissance with the critical success of “The Dropout,” “Pam & Tommy,” and other series. In fact, between its original programming, its FX on Hulu shows, and exclusive movie releases for 20th Century Studios, Hulu has carved out a critical space for itself in the current market.

Hulu has ordered 10 episodes of Interior Chinatown, a new series from from 20th Television and Creator/Exec Producer Charles Yu, who wrote the 2020 bestseller of the same name. Jimmy O. Yang (Crazy Rich Asians) will star and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) will direct pilot and executive produce.

BreAnna Bell Hulu has placed a 10-episode order for “Interior Chinatown,” a drama based on the award-winning book of the same name created by Charles Yu. Variety first reported the series was in development in Oct. 2020. Jimmy O. Yang will star in the series as Willis Wu, described as “a background character stuck doing work in a police procedural called ‘Black & White’ who has no idea of his leading man status. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, revealing certain family secrets and what it feels like to be in the spotlight.” Yang’s previous credits include “Love Hard,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Silicon Valley,” the latter of which he appeared in throughout its six-season run at HBO.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has given a series order to the Western action drama “The Abandons,” which hails from Kurt Sutter. The show was first reported to be in development at the streaming giant back in November 2021. Netflix has given the show a 10 episode order. The show’s official logline states: “As a group of diverse, outlier families pursue their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, ‘justice’ is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law. The Abandons will explore that fine line between survival and law, the consequences of violence, and the corrosive power of secrets, as this family fights to keep their land.”

EXCLUSIVE: Brett Haley is on board to direct 3000 Pictures’ adaptation of People We Meet On Vacation, which is based on Emily Henry’s New York Times best-seller. Yulin Kuang is adapting the screenplay with Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner producing. Laura Quicksilver is overseeing for the Temple Hill with Erin Siminoff and Sophie Kaplan are overseeing the project for the studio.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Goosebumps” series at Disney+ has added both Zack Morris and Isa Briones to its cast as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively. The duo join previously announced cast members Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, and Will Price as well as Justin Long. Per the official logline, “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.” According to Disney Branded Television, the series is influenced by five of the most popular “Goosebumps” books.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Keanu Reeves will no longer star in the Hulu series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The show was first put into development at Hulu in 2019 and was officially ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022. It is based on the book of the same name by by Erik Larson. Per the official logline, the show “tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious ‘Murder Castle’ built in the Fair’s shadow.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Chris Messina has joined Kaley Cuoco in the Peacock dark comedy thriller series “Based on a True Story,” Variety has learned. Per the official series description, the show “is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat.” It was previously announced that Cuoco will play a married woman named Ava Bartlett, while Messina will play a character named Nathan. All other character details are under wraps. Messina’s recent TV credits include the Starz Watergate drama “Gaslit” as well as Season 3 of the popular USA Network series “The Sinner” and HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” He is perhaps best known for his role on the comedy series “The Mindy Project,” in which he starred as Danny Castellano. On the feature side, Messina has been in films like “Argo,” “Away We Go,” “Devil,” “I Care A Lot,” and “Birds of Prey.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Matthias Schoenaerts will star opposite Kate Winslet in the upcoming HBO limited series “The Palace,” Variety has learned. The series was picked up at HBO in July. Per the official logline, it “tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of an authoritarian regime as it begins to unravel.” Exact character details are being kept under wraps. Schoenaerts can currently be seen in the David O. Russell film “Amsterdam” in the role of Detective Lem Getweiler. Up next, he will be seen in the Canal+/Sky series “Django” and the feature “The Way of the Wind” from Terrence Malick. He also recently wrapped filming on the Netflix film “The Old Guard 2.” His past credits include films like “Rust and Bone,” “The Danish Girl,” and “Far from the Madding Crowd.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Derek Kolstad and Dmitri M. Johnson are teaming to launch the media company Story Kitchen, with APA partner Mike Goldberg exiting the agency to join the duo as a co-founder of the new company. Goldberg previously represented Kolstad and Johnson’s dj2 Entertainment during his time at APA. Goldberg’s clients are expected to stay with the agency. In addition, Dan Jevons, Tim Stevenson and Howard Bliss of dj2 will be joining Story Kitchen in senior leadership roles. All current dj2 projects will continue to be handled by Johnson and dj2, with new projects being handled by Story Kitchen. According to Story Kitchen, the company will focus on “the creation -and amplification- of ‘World-Building Action’ and ‘Non-Traditional Intellectual Property’. If all the world’s a stage, Story Kitchen aims to be the Shakespearean leader in Gun-Fu, Popcorn-Fu and Controller-Fu.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Marc Velez has joined UCP as senior vice president and head of development, Variety has learned. In addition, Naketha Mattocks has joined Universal Television (UTV) as senior vice president of drama development. In his new role, Velez will report to Jennifer Gwartz, executive vice president of UCP. He joins the studio from Lee Daniels Entertainment, of which he was the president. He takes over development at UCP from Garrett Kemble, who left earlier this year for a role at Anonymous Content’s AC Studios. “Marc is a rare executive who is entrepreneurial, creative, and a partner to our talent and buyers,” said Beatrice Springborn, president of UCP and Universal International Studios. “We are fortunate to have him lead our creative team, who represent the best of the best as we continue to evolve and grow our slate.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Dune” prequel series at HBO Max from Legendary Television has cast Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson in lead roles, Variety has learned. Officially titled “Dune: The Sisterhood,” the series was ordered at HBO Max in June 2019. The show is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and is based on the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Per the official logline, the show “follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit” Watson will play Valya Harkonnen and Henderson will play Tula Harkonnen. The character descriptions say the two sisters “have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become the Bene Gesserit.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order to a new comedy series from Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay with Sebastian Maniscalco set for the lead role, Variety has learned. The single-camera show is titled “How to Be a Bookie.” HBO Max has given it an eight-episode order. Per the official logline, “A veteran bookie (Maniscalco) struggles to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, family, co-workers, and a lifestyle that bounces him around every corner of Los Angeles, high and low.” Lorre and Bakay serve as co-writers and executive producers on the show. Maniscalco will executive produce in addition to starring, with Judi Marmel also executive producing. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. Chuck Lorre productions is currently under an overall deal at WBTV. The show marks Lorre’s first series at HBO Max.

Todrick Hall will need to pay.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter NBC is developing a drama series inspired by the Narratively article ““The First Family of Counterfeit Hunting” by Amy Ridout. Per the official logline, “Two brothers reunite after a long estrangement and are pulled into a special investigation surrounding closed FBI cases. Known as “Knockoffs,” these cases have been manipulated or outright fabricated to pin the crime on someone innocent and protect the real criminal who’s still out there.” Cameron Litvack is writing and executive producing. Justin Lin, Andrew Schneider, and Salvador Gatdula of Perfect Storm Entertainment will also executive produce along with Noah Rosenberg for Narratively. Universal Television will produce, with Perfect Storm currently under an overall deal at the studio.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson are the latest additions to Apple’s series adaptation of the Blake Crouch novel “Dark Matter.” The pair join previously announced leads Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly. The nine-episode series was ordered at Apple back in March. Per the official description of the show, it follows “Jason Dessen, (Edgerton) a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago – is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jim Gaffigan has joined the cast of the HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. Along with Gaffigan, the ensemble cast of the six-episode series now includes Zazie Beetz, Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Jharrel Jerome, Sheyi Cole, and CCH Pounder. Per the official description of the series, “An investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City.” Gaffigan is best known for his stand up comedy career, having released specials like “Beyond the Pale,” “King Baby,” “Mr. Universe,” “Obsessed,” “Cinco,” “Noble Ape,” “Quality Time,” “The Pale Tourist,” and “Comedy Monster,” the last of which premiered on Netflix last December. He has received six Grammy nominations over the course of his career. Gaffigan has played many comedic roles as an actor, but has taken on more dramatic roles recently, such as the films “American Dreamer,” “Above the Shadows,” and “Light from Light.” He can currently be seen opposite Ethan Hawke in the IFC Films feature “Tesla.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Time Bandits” TV series at Apple from Taika Waititi has found its main cast, Variety has learned. Joining the series are: Lisa Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback” as Penelope; Kal-El Tuck (“Unseeing Evil,” “Band in the Sand”) as Kevin; Charlyne Yi (“Knocked up,” “Paper Heart”) as Judy; Tadhg Murphy (“Conversations with Friends,” “Black Sails”) as Alto; Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (“You Don’t know Me,” “Tomb Raider”) as Widgit; Rune Temte (“The Last Kingdom,” “Captain Marvel”) as Bittelig; Kiera Thompson (“Martyrs Lane,” “Salisbury Poisonings”) as Saffron; and Rachel House (“Heartbreak High,” “Thor Ragnarok”) as Fianna.