Rashida Jones Paired With Robot In Dark A24 & Apple Comedy Series ‘Sunny’

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMichael Douglas will star as U.S. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in a new limited series for Apple, Variety has learned.The untitled series is based on the book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff. Kirk Ellis, the writer behind HBO’s “John Adams” series, will write the show for Apple and serve as an executive producer.Emmy-winning director Tim Van Patten will direct and executive produce.

EXCLUSIVE: The story of former First Daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a socialite, a writer and a force in 20th Century American politics, will be the subject of a half-hour comedy series in development at HBO Max.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Apple limited series “Manhunt” has added Anthony Boyle and Lovie Simone to its cast, Variety has learned.The pair join previously announced series lead Tobias Menzies. The show is based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James Swanson.

Recently, it was announced that Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alfonso Cuaron, was set to direct a TV series for Apple TV+ titled “Disclaimer.” As if that wasn’t exciting enough, he has already cast actors Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in the series. But you didn’t think Cuaron was done casting amazing actors, right? READ MORE: ‘Disclaimer’: Alfonso Cuaron To Write & Direct A New Apple Series Starring Cate Blanchett & Kevin Kline According to Deadline, Sacha Baron Cohen is the latest actor to join the growing cast of Apple TV+’s upcoming series, “Disclaimer.” The series is written, directed, and produced by Cuaron and marks the first time the filmmaker has directed all the episodes of a TV series.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen is joining Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in Disclaimer, the Apple TV+ series adaptation of the Renee Knight novel that is being written, directed and executive produced by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón.

The first trailer for “Pachinko” has been released, offering a first look at the upcoming Apple TV+ adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s sprawling multigenerational saga chronicling how one family’s journey from Korea to America over the course of decades, told in three different languages: Korean, Japanese and English.

One of the most highly anticipated series of 2022 is “Pachinko.” What’s that and why you ask? Well, it’s a new series about generational trauma from writer and executive producer Soo Hugh (“The Terror,” “The Killing”), who created the series and serves as showrunner. Plus, it involves filmmakers Kogonada (“Columbus,” “After Yang”) and Justin Chon (“Blue Bayou”), who are executive producers and directed four episodes each, with Kogonada directing the pilot.

Bill Murray and Aziz Ansari have teamed up for a new movie based on Atul Gawande’s novel Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End.It is unclear what Murray’s role is at this stage but as well as starring in the Searchlight Pictures comedy, Ansari also wrote the script and is on board to direct and produce the as-yet-untitled movie.“Aziz Ansari is an incredible talent and, with this script, he brings a singular combination of insightful humour and pathos,” said Searchlight Presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with him on his feature directorial debut which is long overdue, and of course working with the genius Bill Murray once again.”Murray most recently starred in Ghostbusters: Afterlife alongside Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.Describing the movie as “a spook-nuking sequel” which “brings the franchise back from the dead”, NME awarded the long awaited sequel four stars.It added: “The result is a sequel that feels like an authentic Ghostbusters movie without quite slipping into retread mode.”Ansari meanwhile, recently directed and appeared in season three of Netflix series Master Of None and released his latest stand up special Nightclub Comedian on the streaming service.In other news, a clip of Murray putting his own spin on Tom Waits‘ ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking’ was recently shared.

Emmy Rossum is taking on a new role!

“Aziz Ansari is an incredible talent and, with this script, he brings a singular combination of insightful humor and pathos,” Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with him on his feature directorial debut which is long overdue, and of course working with the genius Bill Murray once again.”Taylor Friedman and Cameron Chidsey are overseeing the project for Searchlight Pictures.

Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried is set as the female lead opposite Tom Holland in The Crowded Room, Apple’s seasonal anthology series from A Beautiful Mind‘s Akiva Goldsman and New Regency.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPaul Reiser has joined the cast of the upcoming Hulu comedy series “Reboot” from Steven Levitan.Reiser is taking over the role of Gordon in the series from Michael McKean. He joins previously announced cast members Judy Greer, Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, and Krista Marie Yu.

Paul Reiser, who recently headlined a revival of his popular 1990s sitcom Mad About You, has joined Reboot, Hulu’s upcoming comedy series about a reboot of a 1990s sitcom.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorThe comedy community and “Ghostbusters” fans everywhere are remembering Ivan Reitman, who died Saturday at 75. Actors and filmmakers, including several people who worked closely with Reitman, paid tribute to the Canadian director and producer who directed the megahit “Ghostbusters” and helped ignite the movie careers of comedians including Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.Reitman also directed “Meatballs” and “Stripes,” and produced films including “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Space Jam,” “Up in the Air” and last year’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, said in a statement, “Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world. Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio’s legacy, but more than that he was a friend.

Toyota brought out the stars for its second commercial that aired during the 2022 Super Bowl!

Jean-Pierre Jeunet can be a master juggler of a filmmaker, letting many different pieces achieve weightlessness while our attention is rapt. When it’s graceful and methodical, it can have the dreamy qualities of “Delicatessen” or “Amelie.” But when the trick doesn’t work, it can be mighty exhausting to follow along with, as with his new Netflix film “Bigbug.” This movie has Jeunet doing “The Jetsons” while ruminating on what a robot uprising might inevitably look like, but that proves to be less exciting than one could ever imagine.

Quiet since November, The Problem with Jon Stewart is set to start up again on AppleTV+ on March 3.

Kristen Wiig is easily one of the more prominent comedic voices in the genre, thanks, in part, to her tenure at “Saturday Night Live,” showcasing her fantastic sense of humor and proving that an all-female cast can lead a gross-out raunchy comedy by leading Paul Feig’s “Bridesmaids.” Now, as streamers continue paying top-dollar to get A-list talent onto their platforms, Wiig is heading back to the small screen with a little help from an unexpected person, veteran actress Laura Dern (“Marriage Story“) for Apple TV+. Continue reading Kristen Wiig & Laura Dern Team For Apple’s 1970s-Set Comedy Series ‘Mrs.

Kristen Wiig is taking on a new role!