‘Jack Reacher’ Series at Amazon Casts Alan Ritchson in Lead Role

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDemi Moore is attached to star in a series adaptation of the QCode podcast “Dirty Diana” that is currently in development at Amazon.The erotic drama podcast debuted in August, with Moore lending her famous voice to the leading role.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO Max has given a straight-to-series order for “Peacemaker,” a spinoff from the upcoming “Suicide Squad” film. John Cena will play the title role, reprising his role from the film.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatasha Lyonne and Alia Shawkat are developing a half-hour series at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.Titled “Desert People,” the series follows a family of Iraqi immigrants who run a gentleman’s club in Palm Springs. Shawkat will star as the parents’ adult daughter in LA who is coming to terms with her sexuality and identity as a first generation American.Shawkat and Lyonne co-created the series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPhillipa Soo and Jake McDorman have joined the cast of Hulu’s upcoming drama “Dopesick” in recurring guest star roles, Variety has learned exclusively.The series looks into the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, taking viewers from a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA, and to the opulence of “one percenter” Big Pharma Manhattan.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterStarz is in early development on a drama series titled “The Venery of Samantha Bird,” Variety has learned exclusively.The project hails from writer and executive producer Anna Moriarty. Should the show get ordered to series, it would mark her first TV writing credit.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTatiana Maslany is near a deal to play the lead role of the upcoming “She-Hulk” series at Disney Plus, Variety has learned from sources.The series centers on Jennifer Walters (Maslany), cousin of Bruce Banner who inherits his Hulk powers after she receives a blood transfusion from him. Unlike Bruce, however, when she hulks out, Jennifer is able to retain most of her personality, intelligence, and emotional control.Reps for Maslany declined to comment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSpectrum Originals and Paramount Network are teaming to co-produce a limited series starring Jessica Chastain as country music legend Tammy Wynette.After a nine-month exclusive run for Spectrum subscribers, the series, titled “George & Tammy,” will have a second window on ViacomCBS’ forthcoming streaming service and Paramount Network.The series chronicles the country music power couple, Wynette and George Jones, whose complicated relationship inspired some of the most

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDisney Plus has picked up the female-led reboot of “Doogie Howser” to series, Variety has confirmed.The new series is titled “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” As previously reported, it will focus on Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha, a mixed race 16-year-old girl who works as a doctor in Hawaii.The reboot hails from writer and executive producer Kourtney Kang. Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar will also executive produce along with Dayna and Jesse Bochco.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe scripted series about “Tiger King’s” Joe Exotic starring Nicolas Cage has been set up at Amazon for development, Variety has learned.Variety exclusively reported the project was in the works from CBS Television Studios and Imagine Television in May.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon is not moving forward on its series about conquistador Hernan Cortes after the show was forced to shut down production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Variety has confirmed.The Spanish-language series, which starred Javier Bardem as Cortes, was intended to be a big-budget miniseries for the streamer comprised of four episodes.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a comedy series starring Jamie Foxx titled “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me,” Variety has learned.The multi-camera series is inspired by Foxx’s relationship with his daughter, Corinne Foxx. The series will also star David Alan Grier, Kyla-Drew, Porscha Coleman, and Jonathan Kite.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEmma Roberts and her Belletrist TV banner have signed a first-look TV deal with Hulu.The deal will focus on literary adaptations, as Belletrist was originally founded by Roberts and Karah Preiss as a book club.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Ridley and Carlton Cuse are set to adapt Sheri Fink’s novel “Five Days at Memorial” for Apple as a limited series, Variety has learned.The book chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans, LA, hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a drama series based on the award-winning Chinese book series “The Three-Body Problem” with David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo set to write and executive produce.The series order covers all three books in the trilogy — “The Three-Body Problem,” “The Dark Forest,” and “Death’s End,” all of which were written by Liu Cixin.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon is developing a series about human rights lawyer Jared Genser with Orlando Bloom attached to executive produce, Variety has learned.The untitled series is inspired by Genser and his firm. He and his team work to free prisoners of conscience (Human Rights prisoners) in high-risk areas throughout the world’s most difficult Hot Zones.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAn animated “X-Files” comedy series is in the works at Fox, Variety has confirmed.The project is currently titled “The X-Files: Albuquerque.” It has received a script and presentation commitment at the broadcaster. The show would revolve around an office full of misfit agents who investigate X-Files cases too wacky, ridiculous or downright dopey for Mulder and Scully to bother with.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has given a series order to the limited anthology series “Women of the Movement,” which will tell the story of key female figures in the Civil Rights Movement.The show was first announced as being in development in August 2019. The first six-episode season is slated to debut in 2021.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNicolas Cage is attached to voice the lead character of and executive produce a series adaptation of “Artemis Fowl” author Eoin Colfer’s novel “Highfire” in development at Amazon, Variety has confirmed.Cage will play the titular Highfire, described as a vodka-drinking, “Flashdance”-loving dragon who lives an isolated existence in the bayous of Louisiana.In the series, dragons once ruled the earth and Lord Highfire ruled the dragons from his eyrie.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Harlan Kim has been upped to series regular on the upcoming fourth season of “9-1-1-” at Fox, Variety has learned exclusively.Kim recurred last season as Albert Kim, the younger half-brother of firefighter Howie “Chimney” Kim (Kenneth Choi). The brothers had never met until Albert surprised Chimey by showing up on his doorstep from Korea.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA live-action “Resident Evil” series has been picked up at Netflix.The streamer has given an eight episode order to the one-hour series, which is based on the Capcom video game franchise of the same name. Constantin Films, which produced the six-film franchise based on the games, will serve as the studio behind the series.