Julie Plec, Amy Chozick’s ‘Girls on the Bus’ Moves to HBO Max From CW With Straight-to-Series Order

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Batman” spinoff series about The Penguin at HBO Max has officially been ordered to series.As Variety exclusively reported in December 2021, Colin Farrell will return for the limited series after starring as the famous Batman villain in the recently released film. Based on the characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger for DC, the show will follow the character, whose real name is Oswald Cobblepot, as he rises through the ranks of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Variety reported that the show as in the works in September 2021.“The world that Matt Reeves created for ‘The Batman’ is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” said Farrell.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRenée Zellweger has lined up another TV role with NBCUniversal. Variety has learned exclusively that the actress is set to star in the drama “Avenger Field” that is in development at Peacock.The one-hour drama series, which hails from MGM Television, tells the story of those that established a clandestine all female US Airforce program called the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) to battle Hitler from home. Inspired by the true story of WASP leader Jackie Cohran (Zellweger) and the diverse group of women who fought the system, skeptics and even sabotage to bring everyone home safely.Felicia D.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDisney Plus has ordered a new series about the beloved Muppets musical group The Electric Mayhem Band, Variety has learned.The series, titled “The Muppets Mayhem” will follow the the band as they try to record their first ever album. Lilly Singh will star as Nora, the human junior A&R executive tasked with managing The Electric Mayhem band. The band consists of Dr.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBaseball legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz is taking a journey through baseball history in his new ESPN Plus series “Big Papi’s Places.”Ortiz hosts the sports series, the latest expansion of the football-centric ESPN Plus series “Peyton’s Places,” with the first episode now available to stream.In an exclusive clip (see below), Ortiz and “Peyton’s Places” host Peyton Manning meet up, with Manning offering Ortiz a chance to host his own show. Of course, there are qualifications.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSam Esmail’s “Metropolis” series has been greenlit at Apple, Variety has learned.The drama series is inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang sci-fi film of the same name. Hailed as one of the greatest and most influential films of the silent film era, the story takes place in the futuristic city of Metropolis.While the city’s wealthy elite enjoy a lavish life of comfort and ease in penthouses and pleasure gardens, scores of workers labor at dangerous machinery in the bowels of the city to keep everything running. Freder Fredersen, the son of the most powerful man in Metropolis, has an awakening after meeting a young worker named Maria and witnessing a number of workers die in an industrial accident.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTim Robinson and Zach Kanin have set up the comedy pilot “Computer School” at HBO Max, Variety has learned.In the pilot, a recent high school grad and his uncle attend the same computer class in suburban Michigan. Robinson will star as the uncle. Robinson and Kanin are writing and executive producing the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSpectrum Originals has ordered the dramedy series “Panhandle” starring Luke Kirby and Tiana Okoye, Variety has learned.Set in the Florida panhandle, the series follows agoraphobic arm-chair detective Bell Prescott (Kirby) and reluctant traffic cop Cammie Lorde (Okoye) as they wrestle with personal demons, shocking twists, and a few Florida gators on their journey to heal themselves and their town.Spectrum has ordered an eight-episode first season of the series, which will shoot in Savannah, GA. It will have a nine month exclusive ad-free run on Spectrum before an ad-supported second window on The Roku Channel.Nicholas Stoller and Carla Kettner created the series and will serve as executive producers.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“This Is Us” star Lyric Ross has signed on for a role in the upcoming Marvel series “Ironheart,” Variety has confirmed with sources.Ross joins previously announced cast members Dominique Thorne and Anthony Ramos. As previously reported, The show follows Marvel character Riri Williams (Thorne), a genius inventor and the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. Ross is believed to be playing Williams’ best friend.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“SEAL Team” star Max Thieriot has signed on for the lead role in the CBS drama pilot “Cal Fire,” Variety has learned.It was previously reported that Thieriot co-wrote the story for the series, which is inspired by his life growing up in northern California. He will also serve as an executive producer.

Melissa Benoist is in talks to star in the upcoming HBO Max drama series The Girls on the Bus.

Coming off six seasons as the lead of Supergirl, Melissa Benoist is poised to reunite with Berlanti Productions on another series. Benoist is in negotiations to headline The Girls on the Bus, which just received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max, I have learned. Benoist also is expected to serve as a producer on the drama series, an adaptation of Amy Chozick’s best-selling book Chasing Hillary, from Julie Plec, Chozick, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV. Reps for HBO Max and WBTV declined comment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist could soon be returning to the Berlanti-verse.Variety has confirmed with sources that Benoist is in talks to star in the series “Girls on the Bus” at HBO Max, which is executive produced by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti previously executive produced The CW series “Supergirl,” which starred Benoist in the title role.Reps for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television declined to comment.It was announced on Thursday that “Girls on the Bus” has received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max after previously having been set up at The CW and Netflix.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Fumero has joined the upcoming Netflix comedy series “Blockbuster,” Variety has learned.Fumero joins previously announced cast member Randall Park in the single-cam comedy, which takes place at the last Blockbuster Video in America. Further castings for the ensemble workplace comedy will be announced at a later date.Fumero will play Eliza, described as a dedicated mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on the rocks. She left Harvard after one semester to start a family and now works at Blockbuster alongside Timmy (Park) as his trusty number two.Fumero is best known for her starring role as Det.

HBO Max has set premiere dates for three movies: Moonshot, Father of the Bride and the New Line reboot of 1990s comedy House Party. 

Joe Otterson TV ReporterParamount Plus is mining even more Nickelodeon content to fill out its content slate.The streamer announced a slew of new projects that will be produced by Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon Animation as part of the ViacomCBS investor day presentation on Feb. 15.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Sonic the Hedgehog” series about Knuckles is in the works at Paramount Plus.The announcement was made as part of the ViacomCBS (now Paramount) investor day presentation.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has ordered a drama pilot from Kay Oyegun.In the untitled one-hour series, five therapists in Philadelphia find unique ways to solve problems in their patients’ lives while grappling with their own. Ellen Roman, the owner of the practice and a brilliant therapist, has her life shockingly turned upside down when she begins working with a sociopathic patient who may hold the key to the disappearance of her sister five years earlier.Oyegun will serve as the writer and executive producer on the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRay Stevenson has been cast in the upcoming Disney Plus “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka,” Variety has confirmed with sources.He joins previously announced series lead Rosario Dawson, who will star as Ahsoka Tano, as well as cast members Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizz, and Ivanna Sakhno.Details on who Stevenson will be playing in the series are being kept under wraps, but it is believed that he will be playing a villain in the series, thought not the main villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn.Reps for Lucasfilm did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.This is not the first time Stevenson has been a part of the “Star Wars” universe. He previously lent his voice to the two animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” as the character Gar Saxon, a Mandalorian commando.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Beauty and the Beast” prequel series is no longer moving forward as planned at Disney Plus.According to sources, the live-action musical show is being postponed for an undetermined amount of time due to creative and scheduling issues. The show was meant to begin shooting this summer in Europe, but certain creative elements were not yet ready, which would have delayed shooting. Given the scheduling issues this would cause with the show’s cast as well as weather constraints, it was decided to hold off and revisit the show at a later date.News of the postponement comes just days after it was announced that Rita Ora was set to join the cast of the show, while Variety exclusively reported that “Hawkeye” alum Fra Fee was joining back in January.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnthony Ramos has joined the upcoming Marvel series “Ironheart” at Disney Plus, Variety has confirmed with sourcesRamos was most recently seen in the film adaptation of “In the Heights.”Marvel Studios declined to comment.More to come…