JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot and Stephen King in Early Negotiations for ‘Billy Summers’ Limited Series

The work of Charles Dickens always seems prescient and allows for multiple incarnations when it’s adapted for the stage, big screen, and television. Another version of his classic love story “Great Expectations” is coming from FX and BBC as the two are teaming for an ambitious new series from Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders“).

Olivia Colman has landed her next leading role!

EXCLUSIVE: Hulu has acquired the rights to develop Adrian McKinty’s upcoming novel The Island as a limited series. McKinty will executive produce with Shane Salerno and The Story Factory. The author’s previous novel The Chain was acquired by Universal and Working Title for Edgar Wright to direct. Wright is rewriting the Jane Goldman script. No numbers were forthcoming on the deal for The Island, but sources said that if the series goes, the author’s deal will exceed the $1.5 million that Universal paid for The Chain. Sasha Silver, head of drama series, was responsible for bringing The Island into Hulu.

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to A Friend of the Family, a true-crime limited drama about the Jan Broberg kidnapping case, from Nick Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero) and UCP, with Oscar winner Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks and Lio Tipton attached to star. Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) is set to direct and executive produce multiple episodes, including the pilot.

Gogglebox star Stephen Webb has been forced away from filming just days before the new series

When Marvel Studios announced their “Moon Knight” series starring Oscar Issac, a lot of folks seemed to be puzzled why that obscure Marvel character was given an adaptation on Disney+ above others still waiting to get the live-action treatment. Well, it’s starting to look like the studio isn’t shying away from the more bizarre and violent aspects of his comic book counterpart allowing for more mature and experimental superhero stories.

FX has set its cast for Retreat, a limited series from The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Oscar nominee Clive Owen (Closer, The Knick) Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, The King’s Man), Alice Braga (Queen of the South, The Suicide Squad), Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America, Judas & the Black Messiah), Joan Chen (The Last Emperor, Twin Peaks), Raul Esparza (Law & Order: SVU, Candy), Edoardo Ballerini (The Sopranos, Dinner Rush) Pegah Ferydoni (Turkish for Beginners, Drama Women Without Men), Ryan J. Haddad (The Politician, Hi, Are You Single?) and Javed Khan (The Bay, Gangs of London) join Corrin in the series, along with previously announced Marling.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAndrew Rannells has been cast in a recurring role in the upcoming Hulu limited series “Immigrant.”The darkly comedic series tells the true story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani), the Indian-American entrepreneur who started Chippendales. Along with Nanjiani and Rannells, the cast also includes Murray Bartlett and Annaleigh Ashford.Rannells will play the rich kid investor in Chippendales New York and the love interest of Bartlett, who stars as producer-choreographer Nick De Noia.Rannells’ recent onscreen roles include “Black Monday” at Showtime and “Girls5Eva” at Peacock.

Andrew Rannells has been tapped for a recurring role in Hulu limited series Immigrant (working title), starring Kumail Nanjiani, Annaleigh Ashford and Murray Bartlett, from Pam & Tommy creator Robert Siegel.

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to Apples Never Fall, a limited series based on Liane Moriarty’s (Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers) bestselling novel.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLiane Moriarty’s novel “Apples Never Fall” is being adapted into a limited series at Peacock, Variety has learned exclusively.In a competitive situation, Peacock has won the rights to the book, which was published in September 2021, and given it a straight-to-series order. Since its debut, the book has sold over one million copies.The series centers on the Delaneys, who from the outside appear to be an enviably contented family.

Universal already had May 13 this year reserved for a Blumhouse movie, and it turns out that’s Firestarter. The movie will go day-and-date on Peacock too as the streamer needs to up its paid subscriber count. Firestarter is the only wide theatrical release on May 13, and follows the weekend after Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

HBO has closed a deal for Doomsday Machine, a limited series about Facebook starring Emmy winner Claire Foy as embattled tech giant COO Sheryl Sandberg and executive producing as well. Anonymous Content (Spotlight, Mr. Robot) and wiip (Mare of Easttown, Dickinson), which took the project to the marketplace in October, will co-produce with HBO.

EXCLUSIVE: The remarkable story of a Dutch woman who risked her life to shelter Anne Frank’s family from the Nazis for more than two years and then preserved Anne’s diary, is the subject of A Small Light, a National Geographic limited series ordered by Disney+. The project comes from Grey’s Anatomy alums Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant), ABC Signature and Keshet Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount+ revealed earlier this week that it had a series adaptation of John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy in the works.

David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams are teaming up for a limited series adaptation of courtroom thriller Presumed Innocent for Apple.

Ethan Shanfeld International streaming service Start has announced it is developing a limited series adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic novel “Crime and Punishment.”Created and directed by Vladimir Mirzoyev (“Russian Death,” “Her Name Was Mumu”), the eight-episode drama series will follow the book’s protagonist Rodion Raskolnikov, as well as his sister Dunya.Like the book, the series follows the desperate and indebted Rodion, who is swayed by a dark force to commit petty theft in a supermarket. Tormented by his conscience, Rodion is led to murder an old woman, causing crippling guilt and paranoia to set in.While the novel takes place in 19th century Russia, the series is set in modern-day St.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Lucifer” star Tom Ellis has joined the cast of Hulu’s Sterling K. Brown-led “Washington Black” limited series in the role of steam-punk inventor Christopher “Titch” Wilde.Described as an epic nine-episode adventure series based on Esi Edugyan’s novel of the same name, “Washington Black” follows the extraordinary 19th-century adventures of George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year-old boy on a Barbados sugar plantation who must flee after a shocking death threatens to upend his life.

EXCLUSIVE: JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot is putting together a limited-series package based on the Stephen King bestselling novel Billy Summers. Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz will adapt, Deadline hears, with Zwick directing what will likely be six to 10 episodes. The package will be shopped shortly to high-end cable networks and streamers.