Maya Rudolph to Star in Apple Comedy Series From Alan Yang, Matt Hubbard

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Apple drama series “The Essex Serpent” has added four actors to its cast.Frank Dillane, Hayley Squires, Clémence Poésy, and Jamael Westman will join series leads Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in the show, which is an adaptation of the Sarah Perry novel of the same name.The one-hour drama series follows newly widowed Cora (Danes) who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSamantha Morton has been cast in the lead role of the Starz drama series “The Serpent Queen.”Morton will star as Catherine de Medici. Based on the book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda, the eight-episode series is described as an account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO Max has given a series order to the half-hour comedy “Minx.”The streamer has given the show a 10-episode order. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, “Minx” on around an earnest young feminist (Ophelia Lovibond) who joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women.In addition to Lovibond and Johnson, the show also stars Idara Victor, Jessica Lowe, Lennon Parham, Michael Angarano, and Oscar Montoya.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSarah Michelle Gellar is set to star in the YA comedy “Hot Pink,” which has been ordered to pilot at Amazon, Variety has learned.The show is loosely inspired by Elana K. Arnold’s book “What Girls Are Made Of.” In the book, Nina Faye was raised to believe that there is no such thing as unconditional love, meaning she will do anything for her boyfriend to prove her worthiness.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEugenio Derbez’s upcoming Apple comedy series “Acapulco” has added four new cast members, with Richard Shepard now onboard to direct the pilot.Enrique Arrizon, Damian Alcázar, Camila Perez, and Raphael Alejandro will all star alongside Derbez in the half-hour series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIn a competitive situation, Tracy Oliver has signed an overall film and television deal at Apple.Under the multi-year deal, Oliver and her her Tracy Yvonne Productions shingle will work to develop projects across film and TV with an emphasis on diverse and meaningful stories.Oliver is best known for co-writing the film “Girls Trip,” which came out in 2017.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered the animated comedy “Koala Man” to series.The series hails creator and executive producer Michael Cusack, with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez onboard as executive producers and showrunners. “Rick and Morty” and “Solar Opposites” co-creator Justin Roiland will also executive produce along with Princess Pictures and Bento Box.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFX has ordered a half-hour pilot from Christopher Storer, Variety has learned.“The Bear,” as the show is called, is about a young chef who returns to Chicago to run the family restaurant. Storer will write, direct, and executive produce the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The L Word: Generation Q” at Showtime has added Vanessa Williams in a recurring role for Season 2, Variety has learned exclusively.The new iteration of the series follows the intermingled lives of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig) and Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) from the original “The L Word” drama series that aired from 2004 to 2009.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVera Farmiga has been cast in a lead role of the Apple drama series “Five Days at Memorial,” Variety has learned.The series is based on the Sheri Fink novel of the same name. It chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans, LA, hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMatthew McConaughey is attached to star in a series adaptation of the John Grisham novel “A Time for Mercy,” which is currently in development at HBO, Variety has learned from sources.The book, published in 2020, is a followup to Grisham’s books “A Time to Kill” and “Sycamore Row,” all of which center on the character of attorney Jake Brigance. McConaughey previously starred as Brigance in the film adaptation of “A Time to Kill” in 1996.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalie Portman and Sophie Mas’ MountainA production company has set a first-look TV deal at Apple.News of the deal comes a week after it was reported that Portman had signed on to star in the Apple series “Lady in the Lake” with Lupita Nyong’o. Portman is also an executive producer on the series, as is Mas via MountainA.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLena Headey will star in and executive produce the Spectrum-AMC Networks series “Beacon 23,” which hails from Zak Penn, Variety has learned.The series is described as a sci-fi psychological thriller. It follows two people whose fates become entangled after they find themselves trapped together at the end of the known universe.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnthony Boyle has signed on to star in in Apple’s World War II drama “Masters of the Air,” a continuation of the “Band of Brothers”/”The Pacific” franchise from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.Boyle joins previously announced cast members Callum Turner and Austin Butler. Based on the book of the same name by Donald L.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTom Hiddleston will star alongside Claire Danes in the series adaptation of the Sarah Perry novel “The Essex Serpent” at Apple, Variety has learned.The one-hour drama series follows newly widowed Cora (Danes) who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has returned to the area.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“One Night in Miami” star Kingsley Ben-Adir has been cast alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn in the Disney Plus Marvel series “Secret Invasion,” Variety has learned.Exact character details for Ben-Adir’s character are being kept under wraps, but according to sources he will be playing a main villain.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWill Forte is attached to star in a drama series in development at Peacock from Harry and Jack Williams.Titled “Expiration Date,” the series is described as a dark suburban soap about Robin (Forte), who, consumed by grief, finds a life insurance policy that covers suicide, provided that the individual doesn’t carry out the deed within one year.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPatti LuPone and Erinn Hayes have signed on to star in the HBO Max comedy pilot “OK Boomer,” Variety has learned.In the show, a self-centered boomer (LuPone) shows up at her estranged daughter’s (Hayes) house hoping to live off the family’s money, but forms an unexpected bond with her progressive granddaughter who’s quick to challenge her on their differing views, of which there are plenty.LuPone’s character, Barbara, is described as a comically outrageous, wildly

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o will star in a series adaptation of the Laura Lipman novel “Lady in the Lake,” which has been ordered straight-to-series at Apple.The series will be co-written by Alma Har’el and Dre Ryan, with Har’el writing the pilot. Endeavor Content is the studio.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDominique Fishback has signed on to co-star with Samuel L. Jackson in the Apple drama series “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” Variety has learned.In addition, Ramin Bahrani has come onboard to direct and executive produce the limited series, which is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley.Jackson stars as Grey, a 91 year old man forgotten by his family, by his friends, by even himself.