Paramount Plus Sets Cast for ‘Grease’ Prequel Series ‘Rise of the Pink Ladies’

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist could soon be returning to the Berlanti-verse.Variety has confirmed with sources that Benoist is in talks to star in the series “Girls on the Bus” at HBO Max, which is executive produced by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti previously executive produced The CW series “Supergirl,” which starred Benoist in the title role.Reps for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television declined to comment.It was announced on Thursday that “Girls on the Bus” has received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max after previously having been set up at The CW and Netflix.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulie Plec and Amy Chozick’s “The Girls on the Bus” is on the move again, this time to HBO Max.The streamer has given the drama series a straight-to-series order. It was most recently set up at The CW for development, having moved to the broadcaster from Netflix. Netflix had originally given the show a series order back in 2019, but it was previously reported that they had dropped the show after the pandemic pushed back the start of production.“The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” The show is described as a comedic character-driven drama that chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMost of the “Teen Wolf” main cast is reuniting for the previously announced Paramount Plus film revival.Variety exclusively reported that the film was in the works in September 2021. “Teen Wolf” creator Jeff Davis will write and executive produce the film. The returning cast includes: Tyler Posey as Scott McCall, Holland Roden as Lydia Martin, Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate, Crystal Reed as Allison Argent, Orny Adams as Coach Bobby Finstock, Linden Ashby as Sheriff Noah Stilinski, JR Bourne as Chris Argent, Seth Gilliam as Dr.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterParamount Plus is mining even more Nickelodeon content to fill out its content slate.The streamer announced a slew of new projects that will be produced by Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon Animation as part of the ViacomCBS investor day presentation on Feb. 15.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Sonic the Hedgehog” series about Knuckles is in the works at Paramount Plus.The announcement was made as part of the ViacomCBS (now Paramount) investor day presentation.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRay Stevenson has been cast in the upcoming Disney Plus “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka,” Variety has confirmed with sources.He joins previously announced series lead Rosario Dawson, who will star as Ahsoka Tano, as well as cast members Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizz, and Ivanna Sakhno.Details on who Stevenson will be playing in the series are being kept under wraps, but it is believed that he will be playing a villain in the series, thought not the main villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn.Reps for Lucasfilm did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.This is not the first time Stevenson has been a part of the “Star Wars” universe. He previously lent his voice to the two animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” as the character Gar Saxon, a Mandalorian commando.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Beauty and the Beast” prequel series is no longer moving forward as planned at Disney Plus.According to sources, the live-action musical show is being postponed for an undetermined amount of time due to creative and scheduling issues. The show was meant to begin shooting this summer in Europe, but certain creative elements were not yet ready, which would have delayed shooting. Given the scheduling issues this would cause with the show’s cast as well as weather constraints, it was decided to hold off and revisit the show at a later date.News of the postponement comes just days after it was announced that Rita Ora was set to join the cast of the show, while Variety exclusively reported that “Hawkeye” alum Fra Fee was joining back in January.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAnthony Ramos has joined the upcoming Marvel series “Ironheart” at Disney Plus, Variety has confirmed with sourcesRamos was most recently seen in the film adaptation of “In the Heights.”Marvel Studios declined to comment.More to come…

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming FX limited series “The Patient” has cast Alex Rich in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively.Rich joins previously announced series leads Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson as well as cast members Linda Emond, Laura Niemi, and Andrew Leeds in the series, which hails from “The Americans” duo Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields.In the half-hour series, a psychotherapist (Carell) finds himself held prisoner by a serial killer (Gleeson) with an unusual request: curb his homicidal urges. But unwinding the mind of this man while also dealing with the waves of his own repressed troubles creates a journey perhaps as treacherous as his captivity.Rich previously appeared in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series “GLOW” in the role of Florian, the butler and best friend of Sebastian “Bash” Howard.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming “American Born Chinese” series adaptation at Disney Plus has found its main cast, Variety has confirmed.Ben Wang, Michelle Yeoh, Yeo Yann Yann, Daniel Wu, Chin Han, Ke Huy Quan, Jim Liu, and Sydney Taylor will all star in the series, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.The series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When Jin meets a new foreign exchange student (Jim Liu) on the first day of school, their worlds collide as Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCatherine Zeta-Jones has been cast in the upcoming “National Treasure” series at Disney Plus, Variety has learned.Zeta-Jones joins previously announced cast members Lisette Alexis, Zuri Reed, Jordan Rodrigues, Antonio Cipriano, and Jake Austin Walker, and Lyndon Smith in the series continuation of the film franchise of the same name. Production is set to begin this month in Baton Rouge, LA.The series focuses on a young heroine, Jess (Alexis), a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.Zeta-Jones will portray Billie, described as a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe new “Goosebumps” TV series has been picked up by Disney Plus, Variety has learned exclusively.The new series version of the beloved R.L. Stine books was first reported as being in the works in April 2020. Disney Plus has given the show a 10-episode order.The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together – thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries, and pasts with each other – in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman serve as writers and executive producers on the show, with Stoller executive producing via Stoller Global Solutions.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe new “Orphan Black” series in the works at AMC has found its writer.Variety has learned exclusively that Anna Fishko is onboard to write and executive produce the potential new iteration of the series, which was first reported as being in the works back in 2019. A writers’ room for the project is now open, though exact plot details remain under wraps.It is known, however, that the project is not a reboot of the original show, but rather a new story set in the same world.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has given a series order to “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” Variety has learned.The half-hour show, based on the Gimlet podcast of the same name, was originally given a pilot order at Amazon in June 2021.“We at Amazon Studios fell in love with this story along with everyone else as the podcast captured listeners,” said Marc Resteghini, head of development for Amazon Studios. “We couldn’t be more excited and fortunate to be working with such world-class creatives to bring Dolores Roach to screen in what is sure to be a captivating series.”In the series, Dolores Roach (Justina Machado) is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a severely gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“That ’90s Show,” the Netflix spinoff of “That ’70s Show,” has set its cast of new Point Place teenagers, Variety has learned.Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Reyn Doi, and Sam Morelos have all joined the show as series regulars. They will star alongside previously announced cast members and returning original series stars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.As previously announced, the show centers on Leia Forman (Haverda), the daughter of Eric and Donna. She is visiting her grandparents for the summer, where bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Kitt (Rupp) and the stern glare of Red (Smith).Full character descriptions for the new cast members can be found below.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has given a series order to the drama series “Dear Edward” from Jason Katims, Variety has learned.Based on the Ann Napolitano novel of the same name, the series will star Connie Britton (“The White Lotus,” “Dirty John”), Taylor Schilling (“Pam and Tommy,” “Orange Is the New Black”), and Colin O’Brien (“Wonka,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Place”). The role reunites Britton and Katims, who previously worked together on the series version of “Friday Night Lights.”“Dear Edward” tells the story of Edward Adler (O’Brien), a 12-year-old boy who survives a devastating commercial plane crash that kills every other passenger on the flight, including his family.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“SEAL Team” has been renewed for Season 6 at Paramount Plus.This will now be the second season of the military drama to air on the streaming service, as the show moved over to Paramount Plus from CBS for Season 5.“We are very excited to welcome ‘SEAL Team’ back for another season on Paramount+,” said Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Plus Original Scripted Series. “The show’s loyal fanbase followed the series to its new exclusive home, and it has proven to be a high-performing title for the service, consistently in the top 10 most-watched original series.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Mayor of Kingstown” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount Plus.The first season of the drama series debuted in November, with the season finale airing on Jan. 9. The first two episodes of the series also aired on Paramount Network immediately after “Yellowstone.” The series premiere drew 2.6 million viewers on the linear network, with the second episode drawing 2.1 million.The series follows the McLusky family – power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAMC has ordered two new original series — “Demascus” and “Invitation to a Bonfire.”Both shows were developed under the network’s script to series model. Both shows hail from AMC Studios and have been given six-episode orders with an eye to debut them on AMC and AMC Plus in 2023.“Demascus” is a half-hour series about life as an ordinary Black man in America today.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has set seven cast members for the upcoming comedy thriller series “The Resort,” Variety has learned.Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nina Bloomgarden, and Gabriela Cartol will all appear in series regular roles, while Debby Ryan, Dylan Baker, Michael Hitchcock and Becky Ann Baker will recur. The show is described as a multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when the couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Mayan Riviera’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries that took place fifteen years prior.Méndez (“Narcos: Mexico,” “Murder Mystery”) will play Baltasar Frías, the head of security at the Oceana Vista Resort in 2007.