‘Madam Secretary’ Alum Tim Daly Signs With Verve (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA live-action version of “The Loud House” has been picked up to series at Paramount Plus.The announcement was made as part of Nickelodeon’s upfronts presentation on Thursday. Production will begin on the new series in June with the premiere set for later this year.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatasha Henstridge is joining The CW’s “Charmed” in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively.Henstridge will appear as Diana. Described as confident, strong, and wry-witted, Diana is another Whitelighter, when it was believed that Harry (Rupert Evans) was the only one left.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulia Garner has signed a first-look television deal with Tomorrow Studios, Variety has learned.Under the deal, Garner and her producing partner, Rowan Riley, will develop scripted series via their Alma Margo production company for Tomorrow Studios, an ITV partnership.“Above all else, Alma Margo is looking for bold and original content, so we thought it only natural to partner with a studio that also fits that description,” said Garner and Riley. “We are incredibly proud to be working with Tomorrow Studios who exhibit every quality that we’re looking for in a partner: intelligence, drive, experience and passion.”Garner is perhaps best known for her role in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series “Ozark,” which will release the second half of its fourth and final season in April.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAntoine Fuqua has signed an overall television deal with Paramount and MTV Entertainment Studios, Variety has learned.The deal comes after Fuqua served as executive producer on the Paramount Plus series “Mayor of Kingstown.” The first season of that series concluded in January with a second season on the way. Fuqua returns as an EP on Season 2.Fuqua and his Hill District Media will focus on developing original scripted and unscripted content under the deal.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLaysla De Oliveira will star alongside Zoe Saldaña in the upcoming Paramount Plus series “Lioness” from Taylor Sheridan, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), described as a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, who is recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Saldaña will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives. The series is set to go into production in June.De Oliveira currently stars in the Netflix series “Locke & Key,” with the third season of that series set to debut later in 2022.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon is developing a baking competition series inspired by the works of Dr. Seuss, Variety has learned.In the unscripted series, bakers will be tasked with crafting incredible confectionary creations tied to beloved Seuss characters like The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, and more. In each episode, the bakers will be given a challenge based on Seuss characters and stories, with their creations then being judged based on taste, creativity, and storytelling.The show is currently casting.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAlexandra Daddario has been cast in the lead role of the “Mayfair Witches” series at AMC, Variety has learned exclusively.Based on Anne Rice’s “The Lives of the Mayfair Witches” novels, the show was picked up to series at AMC in December 2021. Daddario will star as Rowan, a brilliant doctor who grapples with her fate as the heir to a family of powerful witches.“Alexandra is a singular talent who has lit up the screen in everything she’s been in and we couldn’t be happier to have her on board leading the cast of a series that will be a centerpiece of an expanding Anne Rice universe on AMC+ and AMC,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has ordered two seasons of an animated comedy from Ramy Youssef, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is part of new first-look deal Youssef and his Cairo Cowboy production banner have signed with the streamer.Youssef leads Cairo Cowboy with Andy Campagna, the former senior vice president of television for Sam Esmail’s Esmail Corp.“Ramy has only scratched the surface of his incredible creative gifts,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television for Amazon.

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 ReporterThe “Gotham Knights” pilot at The CW has cast both Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively.Smythe and DiChiara are the first announced castings for the pilot, which is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. The one-hour drama takes place in in the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder. His rebellious adopted son forges an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLegendary Television has hired Jen Roskind to serve as executive vice president of production, Variety has learned exclusively.In her new role, Roskind will manage all aspects of the studio’s operations, including physical production, post-production, safety & risk management and production labor. She will report to Carmi Zlotnik, president of Legendary TV.“We are fortunate and excited to have Jen join our team at such a pivotal time in the TV marketplace,” said Zlotnik.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShanola Hampton has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Unfound,” Variety has learned.The one hour drama deals with the fact that, in any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. Public relations specialist Gabi Mosley (Hampton) — who was once herself one of those forgotten ones — and her crisis management team now make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people.

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 Reporter“Futurama” voice actor John DiMaggio has officially signed on to the Hulu revival of the beloved animated sci-fi comedy series, bringing the long and bitter saga known as #Bendergate to a close.“I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family,” DiMaggio said in a statement. “#Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in.

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Sullivan Stapleton, the Australian actor best known for his turn as FBI special agent Kurt Weller on NBC’s Blindspot, has signed with Verve for representation.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCallum Greene and Sara Greene’s Bright Greene production banner has entered into a first-look deal with Amazon, Variety has learned.Callum is an executive producer on Amazon’s highly-anticipated TV series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Under the deal, Bright Greene will develop and produce new projects for Amazon’s streaming platform. UTA brokered the deal on behalf of Bright Greene.\“After the epic journey of Season One we couldn’t be more excited to continue our work with Amazon,” said Callum Greene.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSera Gamble is developing a series adaptation of the Francesca Lia Block book “Weetzie Bat,” Variety has learned exclusively.The series follows Weetzie, her best friend Dirk, and their found family as they traverse the sparkling, dangerous, secret world beneath the surface of 1980s Los Angeles. Weetzie faces the deepest heartbreaks of life with a spirit of hard-won optimism and an unfailing knack for finding the magic hidden inside the ordinary. Weetzie has discovered something amazing: magic is real, and it is hiding in plain sight in the city of Los Angeles.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMichael Douglas will star as U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in a new limited series for Apple, Variety has learned.The untitled series is based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff. Kirk Ellis, the writer behind HBO’s “John Adams” series, will write the show for Apple and serve as an executive producer.Emmy-winning director Tim Van Patten will direct and executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) is finally making its long-awaited debut in Los Angeles, Variety has learned exclusively.The professional wrestling promotion is set to broadcast its weekly TBS show, “Dynamite,” from The Forum in Inglewood on Wednesday, June 1. Earlier on Monday, The Young Bucks announced on their vlog, “Being the Elite, that the company will air its Friday night TNT show, “Rampage,” at the Toyota Center in Ontario, CA on June 3.