‘One Piece’ Creator Offers Update on Netflix Live-Action Series: ‘We’ll Be Setting Sail Very Soon’

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Michelle Randolph and Jacob Lofland have joined Billy Bob Thornton in the upcoming Taylor Sheridan series “Land Man” at Paramount+, Variety has learned. In addition, Variety has learned exclusively that Ali Larter will star in the series as well. Per the official logline, the series “is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and is a modern day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.” It is based on the podcast “Boomtown.” Randolph will star as Ainsley Norris, described as “the wild and strong-willed seventeen-year-old daughter of Tommy Norris (Thornton).” Lofland will play Cooper Norris, “Tommy’s son, who is new to the demanding work in the oil and gas fields of west Texas.” Larter will play Angela, Tommy’s ex-wife.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Futurama” revival at Hulu has set its premiere date. The new episodes of the beloved sci-fi animated series, officially the show’s eighth season, will debut on Hulu on July 24. New episodes will drop weekly on Mondays thereafter, with Season 8 (or Season 11 depending on how you break it down) consisting of 10 episodes. Hulu commissioned 20 episodes in total back in February 2022. Hulu has also released the first teaser for the new season, which can be seen below. This marks the second time the show has been brought back since it originally launched in 1999. After its initial four-season run on Fox, reruns of the show found new life as part of the Adult Swim lineup on Cartoon Network and on DVD. Four direct-to-video films were then produced, which were later re-edited into a fifth season that aired on Comedy Central starting in 2008. Comedy Central would go on to air two more seasons consisting of 26 episodes each between 2010 and 2013.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Virgin River” has been renewed for Season 6 at Netflix. The announcement was made as part of Netflix’s first ever upfront presentation to advertisers. It comes before Season 5 of the popular drama series has even set a premiere date, though it is expected to air in the fall. “Virgin River” was renewed for both Seasons 4 and 5 back in 2021, with Season 4 debuting in July 2022. The series is based on the Robyn Carr book series of the same name. The cast of the series includes Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Colin Lawrence, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Lauren Hammersley, Grayson Gurnsey, Sarah Dugdale, Zibby Allen, and Marco Grazzini.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Killing It” Season 2 has added eight new guest stars, Variety has learned exclusively. The second season of the Craig Robinson-led Peacock comedy series has added the following actors in guest roles: Dot-Marie Jones (“Bros,” “Glee”) as Jackie Boone, Katie Kershaw (“Mrs. Fletcher,” “Fargo”) as Natalie-Ray Boone, Joe Massingill (“Barry,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) as Ray-Nathan Boone, Melanie Field (“Shrill,” “You”) as Shayla, Fatimah Taliah (“Goliath,” “Life in Pieces”) as Maya, Beck Bennett (“Saturday Night Live,” “Bill & Ted Face the Music”) as Johnny, Kyle Mooney (“Saturday Night Live,” “Zoolander 2”) as Bugs, and Tim Simons (“Don’t Worry Darling,” “Candy”) as Agent Burton.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “And Just Like That” Season 2 has set its official premiere date at HBO Max (soon to be renamed Max). The second season of the “Sex and the City” followup will bow on June 22. The announcement was made at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. It had previously been reported that the show would return in June but no solid date had been set. In the show’s first season, overseen by executive producer Michael Patrick King, the worlds of Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) expanded when new characters played by Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury, Karen Pittman and Sara Ramírez were added to the ensemble. John Corbett will also appear in Season 2, reprising the role of Aidan.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ABC has ordered the drama “High Potential” starring Kaitlin Olson to series. The announcement was made ahead of the Disney upfront presentation in New York on Tuesday afternoon. The series order represents the first such order to come from ABC’s pilot crop this season. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the network’s other five pilots remain in contention at this time. The project now known as “High Potential” was originally ordered to pilot at ABC in September 2022, with Olson boarding the show in February. It is based on the French series “Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI).”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Archer” will end with its upcoming 14th season at FXX. The announcement comes despite the fact that FX never formally announced a Season 14 renewal for the series, though series star Chris Parnell had previously stated that the new season was in production back in January. The series aired its 13th season between August and October 2022. Season 14 of “Archer” will debut on FXX with two new episodes beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT and stream the next day on Hulu. The show has long been a cornerstone of FX’s comedy lineup. It originally debuted on the network in 2009 and moved over to FXX in 2017. It has received 10 Emmy nominations throughout its run with four wins, including one for best animated series in 2016.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Walker: Independence” has been canceled at The CW after just one season, Variety has learned. The series served as a prequel to fellow CW show “Walker,” which was just renewed for Season 4 at the network. The show was set in the late 1800s. Per the official description, it followed “Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), an affluent and tough-minded Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. After crossing paths with Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez), a curious Apache tracker, Abby arrives in the town of Independence, Texas, where she encounters diverse and eclectic residents running from their pasts, chasing their dreams, and keeping their own secrets.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Minx” Season 2 has an official premiere date at Starz. Now that the period comedy has officially moved over from HBO Max, the second season will premiere on July 21 at midnight on the Starz app, app and all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. On linear, it will debut on Starz at 9 PM ET/PT in the U.S. and Canada. The first season is currently available to stream on the Starz app. “Minx” is set in 1970s Los Angeles. Per the official description, the series “centers around Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), an earnest young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women. In season two, Doug and Joyce grapple with Minx’s explosive success, which brings more money, fame and temptation than either of them know how to handle.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Yellowstone” is officially coming to an end, with the final episodes of the megahit Paramount Network series’ fifth season set to launch in November. In addition, an untitled sequel series has been ordered and will debut on Paramount Network and Paramount+ in December. The announcement comes after months of speculation that Kevin Costner would be leaving the series, reportedly over his desire to focus on the epic two-part Western feature “Horizon,” which would have seriously impacted his availability to film “Yellowstone.” “’Yellowstone’ has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits – from ‘1883’ to ‘Tulsa King,’ and I am confident our ‘Yellowstone’ sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” said Chris McCarthy, president & CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The behind-the-scenes world of professional wrestling was infamously closed off to the public for decades, frustrating fans who craved a glimpse of what their favorite performers were really likeoutside the ring.That all changed with the internet and social media. And now, the industry is peeling back the mystique further via a slew of docuseries about pro wrestling’s biggest stars and aspiring grapplers.WWE has a slate of four shows with A&E, including “WWE Rivals” and “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Meanwhile, Vice TV is releasing Season 4 of the series “Dark Side of the Ring” on May 30. Also in the mix, Apple TV+ recently aired the docuseries “Monster Factory,” named after the famed pro wrestling school in New Jersey where it takes place, and TBS began airing the All Elite Wrestling show “AEW: All Access” in March.Evan Husney, co-creator and executive producer of “Dark Side of the Ring,” says the pro wrestling doc boom is finally happening because the WWE “controlled the narrative for so long.” Only now are fans getting to see things from other perspectives.“[WWE] controlled all the documentaries that were being put out,” he says. “When we came along with our first season, it was the first time on television in a while that you had seen a sort of journalistic approach and different looks at behind-the-scenes stories and controversies on that large of a scale.”Also driving the wrestling docuseries explosion: nostalgia.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter A “Babylon 5” animated movie is in the works from original series creator J. Michael Straczynski. “BABYLON 5 ANIMATED MOVIE [sic] coming from Warner Bros. Animation & WB Home Entertainment!” Straczynski announced via Twitter. “Classic B5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space & a love letter to the fans. Movie title, release date and other details coming one week from today.” The original “Babylon 5” was produced by Warner Bros. Television. The series ran in syndication and on TNT for five seasons, 110 episodes, and seven TV movies, including the 1993 pilot film. The show is considered one of the best sci-fi series ever made by many critics and won numerous awards throughout its run, including two Hugo Awards and a Saturn Award.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Xilam Animation will serve as animation studio on Zack Snyder’s upcoming Netflix series “Twilight of the Gods.” The series was originally announced in 2019. Little is known about the plot other than it will ancient Norse mythology. The voice cast includes: Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan, and Corey Stroll. The series does not yet have a premiere date. Xilam’s animation services on the animated series will include lay-out, colour BG, animation and compositing. The studio’s past credits include the Oscar-nominated feature “I Lost My Body” as well as shows like “Oggy and the Cockroaches,” “Zig & Sharko,” and “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sydney Chandler has been cast as a lead in Noah Hawley’s “Alien” series currently in the works at FX, Variety has learned. Plot and character details are being kept under tight wraps on the project, which was first announced in December 2020. The only detail that has been confirmed is that the show will take place on Earth in the not-too-distant future. The role brings Chandler back to FX, as she previously made her network television debut in the cabler’s 2022 limited series “Pistol” from Danny Boyle, which told the story of the legendary band The Sex Pistols. Chandler starred in the series as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Chandler’s other credits include the film “Don’t Worry Darling” and the Facebook Watch series “SKAM Austin.” She is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple series “Sugar” opposite Colin Farrell.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has ordered a dramedy series inspired by the memoir “The Pink Marine” written by Greg Cope White, Variety has learned. Currently titled “The Corps,” Netflix has given the show a 10 episode order. The official logline states, “Set in 1990, ‘The Corps’ is about Cameron, a bullied, gay high school student who joins the Marine Corps with his straight best friend, Ray — a dangerous move when being gay in the military meant jail time or worse. As these two friends plunge into Marine Corps boot camp, where the landmines are both literal and metaphorical, they join a platoon of young men on a harrowing journey of transformation.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “9-1-1” is officially done at Fox, with the broadcaster canceling the series after six seasons. However, the show will be moving to ABC for its seventh season, Variety has confirmed. In addition, the sister series “9-1-1: Lone Star” has been renewed for Season 5 at Fox. “It has been an honor to be the founding network of ‘9-1-1’ and we are grateful to Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, together with Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman and the rest of the cast and crew, and 20th Television for delivering such an impactful series to Fox,” the network said in a statement. “We wish them well after ‘9-1-1’s’ final Fox season concludes.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Adam Brody will star opposite Kristen Bell in an upcoming comedy series for Netflix, Variety has learned. The untitled series was ordered at the streamer back in March. It centers “on the unlikely relationship between the outspoken, agnostic Joanne (Bell) and unconventional rabbi Noah (Brody).” The character Noah is further described as “a charming rabbi who is stuck in his ways and used to playing things safe. He starts to stumble when he meets a brutally honest and provocative Joanne, totally upending his safe life plan.” Brody is best known for his role in the hit Fox drama series “The O.C.,” while his other TV credits include “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Mrs. America,” “StartUp,” and “Single Parents.” He has also appeared in films such as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “Sleeping with Other People,” and “Promising Young Woman.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Donald Sutherland is the latest addition to the cast of the Bass Reeves series currently in the works at Paramount+. The show is now officially titled “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and is now described as an anthology series with future installments to follow other iconic lawmen who have impacted history in subsequent seasons. The logline for the Bass Reeves season states it will “bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino have scored a two-season order for a series set in the world of ballet at Amazon, Variety has learned. Titled “Étoile,” the series will take place in both New York and Paris. Each season will consist of eight episodes. The official logline states that the show “follows the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies, as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars.” The cast for the series includes Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Deuce”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent!,” “House of Gucci”), Simon Callow (“Outlander,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Lou de Laâge (“The Innocents”), Gideon Glick (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Marriage Story”), and David Alvarez (“West Side Story”).

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Emperor of Ocean Park,” the best-selling novel by Stephen L. Carter, is being adapted into a TV series at MGM+. MGM+ (formerly Epix) has ordered 10 episodes of the show. The order brings the book’s long road to the screen to near completion. It was originally optioned back in 2001 ahead of the book publishing. Multiple attempts have since been made to adapt the book into a film and later a television series, though none of those projects have moved forward until now. “Emperor of Ocean Park is much more than a murder mystery,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “While it is an engrossing whodunit in its own right, it also explores important themes of middle-and-upper-class Black identity, making it an outstanding addition to MGM+’s slate of engaging and thought-provoking original series.”