Michael Cera Joins Amy Schumer in Hulu Series ‘Life & Beth’

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTaika Waititi is hitting the high seas as the dreaded pirate Blackbeard in the upcoming HBO Max comedy series “Our Flag Means Death,” Variety has learned.Waititi joins previously announced series lead Rhys Darby.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFinn Wittrock has been cast in a lead role of the upcoming “Green Lantern” series at HBO Max, Variety has learned.Wittrock will star as Guy Gardner, who is described as a hulking mass of masculinity, and, as rendered in the comics, an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism. And yet, Guy is somehow likable.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJK Simmons is set to star opposite Sissy Spacek in the Amazon sci-fi series “Lightyears,” taking over a lead role in the series from Ed O’Neill.O’Neill’s casting was reported in March, but according to an individual with knowledge of the production, he has exited for personal reasons.The series follows Irene (Spacek) and Franklin (Simmons) York, a couple who years ago discovered a chamber buried in their backyard which inexplicably leads to a strange, deserted planet.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterToni Collette will star alongside Colin Firth in the HBO Max limited series “The Staircase,” Variety has learned.The eight-episode series is based on the docuseries of the same name as well as various books and reports about the case of Michael Peterson (Firth), who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen (Collette), in 2001.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLena Headey has joined the HBO series “The White House Plumbers,” which delves into the Watergate scandal, Variety has learned.Headey joins previously announced cast members Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, and Domhnall Gleeson. The five-episode series tells the story of how President Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulie Ann Emery has been cast in Apple’s upcoming Hurricane Katrina series, “Five Days at Memorial.”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 Reporter“Walker” Season 2 at The CW has upped Odette Annable to series regular status.Annable currently recurs on the series as Geri, an old friend of Walker (Jared Padalecki) and his late wife.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Summer I Turned Pretty” series at Amazon has cast Lola Tung, Rachel Blanchard, Jackie Chung, and Christopher Briney, Variety has learned.The series is based on the Jenny Han YA novel of the same name. It is described as a multigenerational drama that hinges on a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children, and the enduring power of strong female friendship.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJosh Gad and Isla Fisher are set to star in the romantic comedy series “Wolf Like Me,” which has received a straight-to-series order at Peacock.The streamer has ordered six episodes of the half-hour series. In the show, Gary (Gad) is an emotional wreck and struggles to provide for his daughter since the death of his wife.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Ironheart” series at Disney Plus has tapped Chinaka Hodge to serve as head writer, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.“Ironheart” will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Fantasy Island” reboot at Fox has cast Roselyn Sanchez in the show’s lead role, Variety has learned.Sanchez will star as Elena Roarke, a descendant of Mr. Roarke from the original series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKyle Marvin has been cast in a lead role opposite Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto in the upcoming Apple limited series “WeCrashed,” which details the fall of WeWork, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name. It is described as following the greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork, one of the world’s most valuable startups, and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a documentary series about NASCAR Cup Series driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace.The series is currently in production and will follow Wallace behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season as he competes for the newly formed 23XI Racing team, which was created by Wallace, Michael Jordan, and Denny Hamlin. Wallace is currently the only Black driver at the top level of the sport.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “How I Met Your Mother” sequel series titled “How I Met Your Father” has been ordered at Hulu with Hilary Duff attached to star.In the near future, Sophie (Duff) is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHenry Lloyd-Hughes and Thalissa Teixeira will star alongside Lucy Hale in the AMC-Alibi series “Ragdoll,” Variety has learned.The six-episode show, which was ordered to series back in February, is set to begin production on April 19 in London.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJohn Ortiz has been cast in a leading role of the ABC drama pilot “Promised Land,” Variety has learned.The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. Ortiz joins previously announced cast members Christina Ochoa and Mariel Molino.Ortiz will star as Joe Sandoval, the patriarch of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnika Noni Rose has been cast in the “Let the Right One In” pilot at Showtime, Variety has learned.She joins previously announced cast member Demián Bichir. The series centers on Mark (Bichir), a father and his 12-year-old daughter, Eleanor, whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterChristina Jackson has been cast in a leading role in the FX pilot based on the Sam Greenlee novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door,” Variety has learned.The project was ordered to pilot at FX in February. Jackson will star opposite series lead Y’lan Noel.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterChi McBride has joined the untitled CBS multi-cam comedy pilot based on the life of pro bowler Tom Smallwood, Variety has learned.In the series, after being laid off from the assembly line at the GM factory, seemingly ordinary man Tom (Pete Holmes) makes the extraordinary decision to provide for his family by following his dream of becoming a professional bowler.McBride will star as Archie.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAdepero Oduye has been cast in the upcoming Apple series “Five Days at Memorial.”Oduye joins previously announced cast member Vera Farmiga. The series is based on the Sheri Fink novel of the same name.