Regina Hicks Inks Overall Deal With Netflix; Sets Comedy Series With Barack & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground As First Project

Podcaster Joe Rogan predicted last week that if former first lady Michelle Obama ran for president — even against former titleholder Donald Trump — she’d win. “I really believe if Michelle Obama runs, she wins,” the podcaster said in a “Joe Rogan Experience” episode that came out Christmas Eve.

Boat Rocker has acquired a minority equity stake in TeaTime Pictures, founded by Dakota Johnson and former Netflix executive Ro Donnelly, which has had a first-look deal with the Canadian TV studio since 2019. Under the agreement, Boat Rocker will extend its current first-look deal with TeaTime to develop and produce scripted and unscripted television and digital content.

The Offer executive procucer/showrunner Nikki Toscano has signed an overall deal with the studio behind the upcoming Paramount+ series, Paramount Television Studios.

The final season of “Black-ish” will have a very special guest.

Ashley Nicole Black, who wrote and produced season two of Ted Lasso, is staying in business with Warner Bros. Television.

Selome Hailu editorNetflix has signed a multi-year overall deal with Kalinda Vazquez, who will create, write and produce new series and other projects for the streamer.As her first project under the deal, Vazquez is developing and writing “Arbor Hall,” a young adult mystery thriller.

Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo has signed an overall deal with FX Productions.

Michelle Obama is a doting mum to daughters Malia and Sasha, and has worked hard to allow her girls to enjoy a private life out of the spotlight, despite their parents' high-profile positions.MORE: Michelle Obama's daughter Sasha's unique living situation revealedBut while they are both now studying at university like many other young adults, things were a lot harder when Barack Obama was in office at the White House.VIDEO: Michelle Obama opens up about life without her daughters at homeMichelle

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning writer-playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, creator of the acclaimed series David Makes Man, has teamed up with actor-producer Glenn Davis, artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, to launch Chatham Grove, a production company which has inked an overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Netflix has signed “The Upshaws” creator Regina Hicks to a multiyear overall deal that will include a new comedy series that Hicks will develop with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. The untitled comedy series in development will focus on the lives of four middle-aged Black women from Houston, Texas and explore how they navigate a world of affluence while also balancing the everyday scenarios of women of a certain age.Hicks will create, write and showrun the series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRegina Hicks has signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix, Variety has learned.Hicks is the co-creator and co-showrunner of the Netflix multi-cam comedy “The Upshaws” starring Wanda Sykes and Mike Epps. The show debuted in May and was renewed for a second season in June.Under her deal, Hicks will create, write and produce new series and projects for Netflix.

Selome Hailu editorHBO announced that director, writer and producer Craig Zobel has extended his overall deal for three additional years.Most recently, Zobel directed the 2021 HBO limited series “Mare of Eastown,” which stars Kate Winslet as a police detective in a Philadelphia suburb investigating the recent murder of one girl and year-long disappearance of another.

Prolific director, writer and producer Craig Zobel is continuing his relationship with HBO, extending his overall deal for an additional three years. He previously signed a two-year overall deal in January 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has entered into an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Disney companies Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective. The filmmaker is already in development with Marvel Studios on a new MCU series for Disney+.

EXCLUSIVE: Yale Productions has signed producer Anne Clements of Idiot Savant Pictures to an overall deal, Deadline has learned.

Selome Hailu editorLana Cho, a writer and producer whose credits include “I Know What You Did Last Summer” for Amazon Prime Video and the upcoming “American Seoul” for Hulu, has signed a multi-year overall deal at 20th Television.Cho will create her own comedies and dramas for all platforms while supervising series from other writers. As her first project, she will co-executive produce “American Born Chinese” for Disney Plus.

Writer-producer Lana Cho is expanding her relationship with 20th Television with a multi-year overall deal. Under the pact, Cho will create her own content, as well as supervise other writers’ comedies and dramas, for all platforms.

Halle Berry and Netflix are teaming up!