Netflix Sets Pic Based On Max Taxe Short Story ‘Ripple;’ 21 Laps Producing Through Its Overall Deal

EXCLUSIVE: Fear The Walking Dead co-creator Dave Erickson has closed an overall deal with MRC Television. Under the multi-year pact, Erickson will exclusively work with the indie studio on the creation and development of television series on which he will serve as writer-showrunner or supervise other writers.

Haley Bosselman editorIn today’s TV news roundup, Netflix announced the premiere date for “The Irregulars,” and the Critics Choice Assn. opened up submissions for its nonfiction awards ceremony. ABC renewed extreme mini-golf competition series “Holey Moley” for third and fourth seasons. Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore will return as commentators, as will sideline correspondent Jeannie Mai and executive producer and resident golf pro Stephen Curry.

EXCLUSIVE: Gareth Evans has found his new home for the next several years as the director of The Raid franchise has signed an exclusive deal with Netflix to produce and direct films for the studio. As part of the new partnership, Evans has set the action thriller Havoc as the first film under the deal with Tom Hardy on board to star.

The new movie I Care a Lot debuts on Netflix this weekend and it’s sure to be a big hit for the streaming service!

Mamoudou Athie, star of breakout feature film Patti Cake$, is to star in and produce a feature film set in the Sahara Desert.

Netflix has unveiled plans for Sulwe, an animated musical feature based on the graphic novel series of the same title by Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o. The book, featured in its own episode of the Netflix original series Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices!, features Sulwe, whose skin is darker than everyone she knows as she wants to be beautiful and bright.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Maude Apatow, William Hurt, Corey Stoll, and Lara Pulver have all joined the cast of the upcoming AMC animated drama “Pantheon,” the network announced Thursday as part of the Television Critics Association winter press tour.Apatow (“Euphoria,” “The King of Staten Island”), Hurt (“Black Widow,” “Goliath,”), Stoll (“Billions,” “Ant-Man”) and Pulver (“The Angel of Darkness,” “Sherlock”) will be joining a voice cast that is jam-packed with diverse celebrity talent.

William Hurt (Black Widow, Goliath), Maude Apatow (Euphoria, The King of Staten Island), Corey Stoll (Billions, Ant-Man) and Lara Pulver (The Angel of Darkness, Sherlock) have joined the cast of Pantheon, AMC’s first animated, primetime drama. Additionally, Pantheon creator and showrunner Craig Silverstein is expanding his relationship with AMC Studios, the studio behind the series, with an exclusive multi-year overall deal.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterDonald Glover has inked an eight-figure overall deal with Amazon Studios, sources tell Variety, marking an exit from his current deal with Disney’s FX.Sources also say that Malia Obama is joining the writers’ room of a Glover project at the streaming service’s studio, a mini-room for a Janine Nabers project.An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The Hollywood Reporter first reported news of the pact.More to come…

In just under a month, it will officially be 24 years since Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious BIG, aka Biggie Smalls, was murdered at the height of his fame. Sadly, at the time of his death, he was only 24 years old.

Melissa Benoist will have her schedule filled after Supergirl wraps up for the final season.

Supergirl star Melissa Benoist is moving into production and sticking with Warner Bros.

Elaine Low Senior TV Writer“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist has formed a new production company, Three Things Productions, and inked an exclusive, multiyear overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.Through Three Things — inspired by the Mary Oliver poem “Three Things to Remember” — Benoist and her team will develop and produce original TV programming for all platforms.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer-producer Jami O’Brien is getting into business with HBO, signing a two-year overall deal with the premium cabler. Under the pact, she will develop new material for the network, executive produce the second season of HBO’s hit series, Industry and serve as Consulting Producer on the new season of Emmy-winning drama In Treatment.

EXCLUSIVE: Minhal Baig, the filmmaker behind acclaimed feature film Hala, has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios and has set her first project.

Football great Colin Kaepernick has entered the ballooning word of SPACs, or special purpose acquisitions companies, and will be co-chairman of a new one called Mission Advancement Corp.

EXCLUSIVE: The Walking Dead writer-producer Jim Barnes is expanding his relationship with AMC Studios, signing an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with the studio behind the hit zombie apocalypse series. Under the pact, Barnes will develop and produce new series for AMC’s television networks and streaming platforms and third-party buyers.

Netflix has snapped up the rights to Brian Jacques’ entire series of Redwall books and is plotting an animated feature film and TV series based on the animal adventure franchise.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max has ordered a fifth season of acclaimed comedy series Search Party and has expanded its relationship with series’ creators Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss who have signed a two-year overall deal. Under the pact, Rogers and Bliss will develop new programming for the Warner Media streamer. The duo spoke with Deadline about what to expect from Season 5 of Search Party and their new development for HBO Max.