Matt Bomer-Led Limited Series ‘Fellow Travelers’ Greenlit at Showtime

Joe Otterson TV ReporterStephanie Hsu is set for a guest starring role in Disney+ series “American Born Chinese,” Variety has learned exclusively.The role reunites Hsu with previously announced cast member Michelle Yeoh, with whom Hsu starred in the hit film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, the series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When Jin meets foreign exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu) on the first day of school, their worlds collide as Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

EXCLUSIVE: Even as their hit Emmy-winning comedy Barry makes its long awaited return, HBO is looking to stay in business with its star Henry Winkler as sources tell Deadline that HBO is developing the new limited series King Rex with Henry Winkler attached to star and his son, Max, directing the pilot. It would mark the first time the father-son duo have worked together in the business and both Winklers are also exec producing. Joining them as exec producers are Malcolm Spellman and Nichelle Tramble Spellman who will exec produce through their The 51 banner along with Eli Dansky (the Spellman’s have a first look deal with HBO). Scott Brown and Megan Creydt of Texas Monthly (who also has first look deal with HBO) will also exec produce with Trey Selman writing the pilot and co-exec producing.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Last Thing He Told Me” series adaptation at Apple has added three new cast members, Variety has learned exclusively.Geoff Stults (“Little Fires Everywhere,” “Guilty Party”), John Harlan Kim (“LA Law,” “9-1-1”), and Augusto Aguilera (“Made for Love,” “Promised Land”) will all appear in the series. Jennifer Garner will star along with previously announced cast members including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice, and Aisha Tyler.The series is based on the Laura Dave novel of the same name. The show follows Hannah (Garner), a woman who forms an unexpected relationship with her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) while searching for the truth about why her husband Owen (Coster-Waldau) has mysteriously disappeared.

Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), Boyd Holbrook (The Premise), Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby), Vondie Curtis Hall (Harriet), Marin Ireland (Y: The Last Man), Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline), Victor Williams (The Good Lord Bird) and Vivian Olyphant are set as leads opposite Timothy Olyphant in FX’s Justified: City Primeval, the limited series inspired by Elmore Leonard’s City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit. Production begins this week in Chicago.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEd O’Neill is set to play Donald Sterling in the upcoming FX limited series “The Sterling Affairs,” Variety has learned.The show was picked up to series at FX back in April. It is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast of the same name. O’Neill joins previously announced stars Laurence Fishburne and Jacki Weaver.The six-episode series tells the behind the scenes story of Doc Rivers (Fishburne) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ quest to bring a championship to one of the historically worst franchises in all of sports during the impending downfall of the team’s owner, Donald Sterling (O’Neill), whose notoriously racist behavior is brought to light amid the power struggle between his wife of 60+ years, Shelly Sterling (Weaver), and his mistress, V.

Ed O’Neill is set to star opposite Jacki Weaver and Laurence Fishburne in The Sterling Affairs. The Modern Family alum will play the title role in FX’s six-episode limited series about the downfall of Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling amid the team’s drive to win a championship under coach Doc Rivers.

EXCLUSIVE: Aisha Tyler (Fear the Walking Dead, Archer) has joined the cast of the Apple limited series The Last Thing He Told Me in a leading role.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple is developing a series version of “The Prince of Tides.”The series would be a remake of the 1991 film of the same name, which was itself an adaptation of the 1986 novel by Pat Conroy. Like the film, the series would follow Tom Wingo, who travels to New York after his sister attempts suicide. While there, he develops a relationship with his sister’s therapist, Susan Lowenstein, while also delving into painful memories from his childhood.Tate Taylor will write and executive produce the adaptation, with John Norris executive producing with Taylor under their Wyolah Entertainment banner.

Two-time Emmy winner Jeff Daniels has been tapped as the lead of A Man in Full, a six-episode limited series based on Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel, from David E. Kelley and Regina King. Kelley serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner, with King directing three episodes and exec producing as part of her first-look deal with Netflix via her Royal Ties production company.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJeff Daniels is set to play the lead role in the upcoming Netflix drama series “A Man in Full,” Variety has learned.The series is based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. Variety exclusively reported the show had received a straight-to-series order at the streamer in November 2021. The show hails from David E. Kelley with Regina King onboard to direct and executive produce.In the series, Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker (Daniels) faces sudden bankruptcy.

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Radnor (Hunters) has signed on for a major recurring role opposite Lizzy Caplan in FX’s limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble. In addition to Caplan he joins previously announced leads Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Christian Slater, Adam Brody and Joy Supruno in the series, which is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s bestselling debut novel.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBruce Greenwood is joining “The Fall of the House of Usher” series at Netflix, taking over the role previously held by Frank Langella.Langella exited the series earlier in April after it was reported that he was under investigation for misconduct on the set, which it was later confirmed involved making an inappropriate joke to a female co-star.Greenwood will now star in the series as Roderick Usher, the head of the Usher family in creator Mike Flanagan’s modern re-telling of the Edgar Allan Poe story. The show draws on other Poe works as well.

EXCLUSIVE: Christian Slater is the latest big name to join FX’s limited series Fleishman Is In Trouble.

EXCLUSIVE: Y’Lan Noel (The First Purge), Mikey Madison (Better Things) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things) are set as leads opposite Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o in Lady In The Lake, Apple TV+’s limited series adaptation of Laura Lippman’s book, created and directed by Alma Har’el (Honey Boy) and produced by Endeavor Content.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Matt Bomer has signed on to star in a brand new Showtime series.

Matt Bomer is set to star in the upcoming Showtime limited series “Fellow Travelers,” Showtime announced Wednesday.The series is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon and tells the love story story of two men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington. Bomer, who is also an executive producer on the show, will play Hawkins Fuller, who has a lucrative career in politics while keeping behind the scenes.

Fellow Travelers, a series based on the Thomas Mallon novel starring and exec produced by Matt Bomer, has landed a greenlight at Showtime.

Showtime’s reboot/sequel of Nicolas Roeg’s exquisite “The Man Who Fell to Earth” is better appreciated if one divorces it from comparisons to the original. Who could possibly imitate David Bowie’s remarkable alien quality in that film? A singer and entertainer who always seemed slightly out of this world, Bowie played a humanoid alien who crashed to Earth in an effort to bring water back to his home planet, but the plot was secondary to Roeg’s craft and Bowie’s otherness.