King Kong Live-Action Series in Early Development at Disney+

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Natasha Lyonne’s upcoming Peacock detective series “Poker Face” has added three new cast members, Variety has learned exclusively. Brandon Michael Hall (“God Friended Me,” “Search Party”), Colton Ryan (“The Girl From Plainville,” “Dear Evan Hansen”), and Megan Suri (“Never Have I Ever,” “The Pisasch”) have all been cast in the show. As with past casting announcements for “Poker Face,” details on their characters are being kept under wraps. Hall is repped by Gersh, Viewpoint, and Felker Toczek. Ryan is repped by Gersh and Echo Lake Entertainment. Suri is repped by Entertainment 360.

A group of Gulf states are threatening Netflix with legal action if the streamer does not remove what they class as content that “contradicts” Islamic values. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued a statement saying it has contacted the SVoD to demand the content, which was not specified publicly, is removed.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVince Staples is heading to Netflix with his own scripted comedy show, Variety has learned.The streaming giant has given out a series order for “The Vince Staples Show,” loosely based on the real life of the rapper and actor. Staples will star in the show as himself. The show will be set in Long Beach, CA, where Staples grew up.Staples will executive produce in addition to starring. Kenya Barris is also executive producing via Khalabo Ink Society. Ian Edelman, Maurice Williams, Corey Smyth and Calmatic also executive produce. Edelman and Williams are co-showrunners on the series. Barris, Edelman, and Williams also executive produced Kid Cudi’s animated Netflix show “Entergalactic.” Calmatic will direct the first two episodes of “The Vince Staples Show.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Zazie Beetz is set to star in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. Variety exclusively reported the show had been ordered at HBO Max back in August 2021. Soderbergh will direct all six episodes and executive produce, with Ed Solomon writing and executive producing. Casey Silver will also executive produce. The three previously worked together on the HBO Max film “No Sudden Move.” 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.” Exact details on Beetz’ character are being kept under wraps.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming CIA drama series “Lioness” at Paramount+ has added three new actors to its cast, Variety has learned exclusively. James Jordan, LaMonica Garrett, and Dave Annable have all joined the show. All three have previously worked with Sheridan — Jordan and Annable on the hit Paramount Network series “Yellowstone” and Garrett in the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883.” Jordan also appeared in “1883” as well as Sheridan’s Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown” and in his features “Wind River” and “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” The three join previously announced cast members Zoe Saldaña and Laysla De Oliveira.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Eiza González has joined Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal in the Hulu limited series “La Máquina.” The Spanish-language series was picked up at Hulu in July. Per the official logline, “‘La Máquina’ follows an aging boxer (García Bernal) whose crafty manager (Luna) secures him one last shot at a title. But to make it to fight night, they must navigate a mysterious underworld force.” González will star as Irasema. Her character descriptions says she is “an aspiring sports journalist who approaches boxing as more of an art form. She’s the ex-wife of Esteban (García Bernal), who she still deeply cares for, and mother to their two children. She’s known Esteban and Andy (Luna) since they were teenagers.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Carla Gugino has been cast in a series regular role in the upcoming HBO Max series “The Girls on the Bus,” Variety has learned. Gugino is the latest addition to the cast, joining previously announced cast members like Melissa Benoist, Natasha Behnam, Christina Elmore, and Brandon Scott. “The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Amy Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” It is described as a comedic character-driven drama that chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming “Spiderwick Chronicles” TV series at Disney+ has cast Joy Bryant, Variety has learned exclusively. Bryant joins previously announced cast members Lyon Daniels and Noah Cottrell as well as Christian Slater. The show is based on the popular book series of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. In the show, upon leaving New York and moving to Michigan and into their run-down ancestral home—The Spiderwick Estate—with their mother, twin brothers Jared (Daniels) and Simon Grace (Cottrell), along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate, fantastical world.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBen Kingsley is poised to reprise the role of Trevor Slattery in the upcoming Wonder Man series from Marvel Studios at Disney+, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The show was first revealed to be in the works back in June. It will focus on the Marvel character Simon Williams, a.k.a. Wonder Man. In the comics, Williams is the son of a wealthy industrialist whose company falls on hard times due to competition from Tony Stark’s Stark Industries. Williams then accepts an offer from villain Baron Zemo that gives him ionic superpowers including super strength and durability. After fighting the Avengers several times, Wonder Man ultimately joined their ranks. Kingsley returning as Slattery lends credence to reports that the show is intended to be a Hollywood satire, as it has been established that Slattery is a failed actor and Wonder Man has been an actor and a stuntman in the comics. Exactly how Kingsley would factor into the plot of the series and how many episodes he would appear in is being kept under wraps, but sources say he will play a major role.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Michael Fishman has released a statement regarding his departure from ABC’s “The Conners” ahead of the show’s fifth season. “It has been my honor to play D.J. Conner,” Fishman said in a statement to People. “It’s every actors dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show, where we tackle significant topics.” “While I wholeheartedly will miss Friday night tapings in front of our loyal audiences, alongside our amazing cast and crew, I am excited for the opportunities coming in the next chapter of my career,” he continued. “While I was told I would not be returning for season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop,” Fishman concluded. “I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jennifer Connelly is set to star opposite Joel Edgerton in the Apple series adaptation of the Blake Crouch novel “Dark Matter,” Variety has learned. The nine-episode series was ordered at Apple in March. It will follow 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 “The Conners” star Michael Fishman is leaving the ABC sitcom ahead of Season 5, Variety has confirmed. Fishman played DJ Tanner in the series, reprising the role he played for 10 seasons on “Roseanne.” Exact details on how Fishman will be written out of the show are currently under wraps, but it will supposedly leave the door open for him to return. Jayden Rey, who plays DJ’s daughter Mary in the show, will also not be back as a series regular, though she will appear in a guest star role. John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, Jay R. Ferguson, and Katey Sagal will all return for the new season. Fishman first began playing DJ Tanner in 1988 in the second episode of “Roseanne.” He stayed with the show throughout its first nine seasons, returning along with the rest of the original cast for the 2018 revival. He has also directed five episodes of “The Conners” since 2020, most recently directing the Season 4 episode “Messy Situation, Miscommunication and Academic Probation.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Colin Farrell’s upcoming Apple series “Sugar” has added five new cast members, Variety has learned. James Cromwell (“Succession,” “Babe,” “Six Feet Under”), Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad,” “Deadwood”), Dennis Boutsikaris (“Better Call Saul,” “Mayfair Witches”), Alex Hernandez (“Invasion,” “Bloodshot”), and Lindsay Pulsipher (“The Beast,” “True Blood”) have all joined the series. Cromwell and Gunn will recur, while Boutsikaris, Hernandez, and Pulsipher will be series regulars. Along with Farrell, previously announced cast members include Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Amy Ryan. Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lyon Daniels and Noah Cottrell have been cast in two of the lead roles in “The Spiderwick Chronicles” series currently in the works at Disney+, Variety has confirmed. The pair join previously announced cast member Christian Slater, who will play the villain Mulgarath. The show was first announced as part of Disney+ Day in November 2021. Based on the best-selling children’s books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” follows the Grace family — twin brothers Jared (Daniels) and Simon (Cottrell), sister Mallory and their mother Helen — as they move into their great-great uncle’s home and discover a world of fairies that exists parallel to their own.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Christian Slater has signed on to play a major villain in the upcoming Disney+ series adaptation of “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” Variety has confirmed. The show was first announced as part of Disney+ Day in November 2021. Based on the best-selling children’s books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” follows the Grace family — twin brothers Jared and Simon, sister Mallory and their mother Helen — as they move into their great-great uncle’s home and discover a world of fairies that exists parallel to their own. Slater will star as Mulgarath, whose alter ego is Dr. Dorian Brauer. The character is described as a capital-V Villain who does what all ogres do — he eats people, an insatiable desire to consume. Mulgarath wants the secrets contained in Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Natural World for a nefarious scheme that will satisfy his hunger.

#KingKong https://t.co/ibpAYGs6ucAccording to early reports, the story will be set in modern times and partially set on Skull Island and the origins of a new Kong. The project will be based on IP from Merian C.

EXCLUSIVE: An iconic monster is headed to Disney+. Disney Branded Television is in very early development on King Kong (working title), a series for Disney+ tracking the original story of the famous ape. Deals have just closed for the project, from James Wan’s Atomic Monster, which would mark the first live-action series set in the Kong universe.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has given a series order to the spy drama “The Company You Keep” starring “This Is Us” alum Milo Ventimiglia, Variety has learned.The series was originally ordered to pilot as part of ABC’s 2022 pilot season slate. It will now debut at midseason on ABC in 2023.The show is based on the Korean series “My Fellow Citizens” from Korean Broadcasting System. In the American version, a night of passion leads to love between con-man Charlie (Ventimiglia) and undercover CIA officer Emma (Catherine Haena Kim), who are unknowingly on a collision course professionally.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSteven Pasquale is set to star opposite Neve Campbell in the upcoming ABC series “Avalon,” Variety has learned.The announcement of Pasquale’s casting comes just one day after Campbell’s, with Campbell set to play the lead role in the show. It hails from co-creators David E. Kelley and Michael Connelly, with the show based on a short story that Connelly wrote.