Mecum Auctions Signs With UTA (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeter Murrieta has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the deal, Murrieta will develop original content for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. He was previously an executive producer on “Mr.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed musician/actor/producer Billy Ray Cyrus for worldwide representation in all areas.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLee Daniels has signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Television.Daniels has called the studio home since 2015 when he co-created the hit Fox drama series “Empire.” He then signed another deal with 20th TV in 2018, which was set to expire in June.“I’m beyond grateful to continue my partnership with 20th, Dana Walden, Karey Burke and their amazing team, all of whom have wholeheartedly supported my vision over the past seven years,” Daniels said.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAngela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s Bassett Vance Productions is teaming with MTV Entertainment Studios and writer Nathan Alan Davis on a limited series about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Variety has learned exclusively.News of the series comes just before the 100 year anniversary of the massacre, which left hundreds of Black people dead and entire homes and businesses destroyed.

EXCLUSIVE: Alok Vaid-Menon has signed with UTA for worldwide representation in all areas.

EXCLUSIVE: Equity and A Call to Spy writer, producer, and star Sarah Megan Thomas has signed on to direct Audrey’s Children, a biographical drama about healthcare hero Dr. Audrey Evans.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCliff “Method Man” Smith and his manager, Shauna Garr, have teamed to form the production company Six AM, An Entertainment Co., Variety has learned exclusively.Six AM will aim to produce a diverse range of content for untold points of view for audiences of all ages.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJack McBrayer is set to host a new kids series that has been ordered at Apple, Variety has learned.McBrayer co-created the series, titled “Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show,” with Angela C. Santomero.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“NCIS: Hawai’i” has added Noah Mills to the cast, Variety has learned exclusively.Mills joins previously announced series lead Vanessa Lachey and fellow cast members Yasmine Al-Bustami and Jason Antoon.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Joe Exotic” series at Peacock is rounding out its cast with the addition of Brian Van Holt, Variety has learned.Van Holt will star as John Reinke, the zoo manager at Joe’s zoo, a loyal worker and friend until things go too far.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTV super-producer Nigel Lythgoe is partnering with Triller Fight Club on a new unscripted competition series called “So You Think You Can Fight,” Variety has learned exclusively.“So You Think You Can Fight” will follow in a similar format to “So You Think You Can Dance.” The weekly, hour-long series will pair a celebrity action star with a pro fighter, each who will select an amateur boxer through a global talent search and competition, along with audience voting and

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJackée Harry and George Wallace have joined the cast of the Freeform comedy pilot “Everything’s Trash” in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively.The iconic pair join previously announced series star Phoebe Robinson in the half-hour pilot. It follows Phoebe, a 30-something podcast star navigating her messy life.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Joe Exotic” series starring Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell will now air only on Peacock instead of on the streamer, NBC, and USA Network as originally planned.The show received the multi-platform series order last year. According to an individual with knowledge of the production, the move comes as the multi-platform order was made prior to Susan Rovner assuming her role as chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKym Whitley and Danny Garcia have been cast in recurring roles in the Amazon YA pilot “Hot Pink,” Variety has learned exclusively.The pair joins previously announced stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy, as well as fellow recurring star David Arquette.The show is loosely inspired by Elana K.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDiscovery Plus is venturing into scripted development, with the streamer acquiring the TV rights to the book “Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman,” Variety has learned exclusively.The move to develop the series, which is in the very early stages, is significant given that Discovery Plus is largely made up of original unscripted programming and library content from channels like HGTV, TLC, Discovery Channel, and Food Network among others.

Ryan Reynolds and his Maximum Effort Productions have signed a three-year first-look development deal with Paramount Pictures. The move reteams the indefatigable actor with many of the key executives that formerly ran 20th Century Fox, Reynolds’ home studio of not just his previous deal but also the Deadpool movies that trampolined the actor to new heights of stardom.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterRyan Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort, has signed a three-year, first-look deal with Paramount Pictures.The pact reunites Reynolds with longtime executive partner Emma Watts, Paramount’s motion picture group president, and studio CEO Jim Gianopulos. The deal will cover development for all Maximum Effort feature projects across all budget scales.“We are so happy the next chapter of Maximum Effort will be written at Paramount.

Artists Titus Kaphar has signed with UTA. Kaphar — whose artwork has appeared in exhibitions at Harlem's Studio Museum, MoMA PS1, and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC — was behind the Timemagazine cover for the issue centering on George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

British actress Emma Laird, who just booked a starring role opposite Jeremy Renner in Mayor of Kingstown, has signed with APA for representation in all areas. The signing is major one for Laird, who has no feature or series experience, and for the agency, which beat out four other agencies for the opportunity to sign the actress.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBassett Vance Productions, the production company formed by Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, has hired Lynnette Ramirez as head of development, Variety has learned exclusively.Ramirez is tasked with finding and developing diverse stories with a strong emphasis on BIPOC voices in front of and behind the camera for multiple platforms.