Seth MacFarlane Developing Series Adaptation Of Graphic Novel ‘The Shrouded College’ For Peacock

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Ted Danson and Mike Schur are officially reuniting for a series adaptation of the documentary “The Mole Agent” at Netflix, Variety has learned. The streaming giant has ordered eight episodes of the untitled project after it was originally reported that it was being taken out to market in early February. Per the official logline, Danson will star as Charles, “a retired man who gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a PI and becomes a mole in a secret investigation.” “The Mole Agent” was directed by Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi. It originally debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.

EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria soccer legend Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is getting animated.

EXCLUSIVE: Lana Turner’s mobster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato was allegedly stabbed to death in her house by her daughter Cheryl Crane in 1958.

EXCLUSIVE: MRC has made a deal to develop Pornsak Pichetshote’s Eisner Award-winning graphic novel bestseller The Good Asian into a series. James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett are producing for Atomic Monster. Will Rowbotham and Luke Maxwell are producing for 3 Arts. 

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is developing a TV adaptation of buzzy Canadian novel The Listeners from Normal People producer Element Pictures.

Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer is leading a thriller for South African network M-Net.

Naman Ramachandran Damon Wayans Jr. and Andrew “King Bach” Bachelor will create and write the graphic novel “Shogun Run.” Set in 1990s South Central Los Angeles, “Shogun Run” is described as “Big Trouble in Little China” meets “Attack the Block.” Producers David Uslan and Gary Glushon will serve as creative consultants on the project, while the illustrator will be revealed imminently. The graphic novel will be published by First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, in 2025. A series or film adaptation of the graphic novel is on the cards down the line. Wayans Jr. was most recently in Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall,” which opened the 2021 BFI London Film Festival and went on to win a BAFTA. Bachelor, an internet personality with more than 27 million followers on TikTok as King Bach, is currently in thriller film “Fear.”

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 10 full years since it was reported that Steven Spielberg was interested in taking Stanley Kubrick’s unproduced “Napoleon” script and adapting it as a TV series. This has clearly been a passion project for Spielberg, as he has consistently tried to get this to happen, most recently with the help of director Cary Fukunaga.

“Eight Billion Genies,” “Undiscovered Country,” “Letter 44” and “Curse Words.” Sliney, an award-winning comic book artist and presenter, has drawn many of the most prominent characters in comics, including best-selling runs on Star Wars and Spider-Man, with over one hundred issues drawn for Marvel Comics. He has also produced and starred in the TV series “Draw With Will” (Sky Kids) and “Will Sliney’s Storytellers” (RTE), and is the co-founder of Pioneertown Productions.“The Shrouded College” is MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door’s latest project under a multiyear television deal with Universal Studio Group.

EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Radden Keefe’s The Snakehead, a book described as a mix between The Godfather and Chinatown, could be heading to the small screen after A24 won the rights.

EXCLUSIVE: A comedy series adaptation of Laura Vorreyer’s popular book The Pet Sitter’s Tale is in the works for the small screen with Tara Reid (American Pie, Ghosts) set to star and produce.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Briana Middleton has been cast in the lead role of Sam Esmail’s Apple series adaptation of the film “Metropolis,” Variety has learned. The series was originally greenlit at the streamer in March 2022. It is inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang sci-fi film of the same name, which has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential films of the silent film era. Middleton will play the role of Finnie Polito. The announcement of her casting in the series comes days ahead of the Friday launch of the Apple film “Sharper,” in which Middleton also stars. Her other recent credits include the George Clooney film “The Tender Bar.” Her casting in the series marks her first starring television role.

EXCLUSIVE: Inspired by the recent success of The Last Of Us, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment (WSS) is teaming up with Productivity Media to adapt an episodic scripted series based on the Roblox platform game Creatures Of Sonaria.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Television is developing a TV adaptation of the novel Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft, who will also pen the series. Julie Plec and Emily Cummins will executive produce through Plec’s production banner, My So-Called Company as part of her overall deal with Universal Television.

BreAnna Bell Walden Media has preemptively acquired N.K. Jemisin’s bestselling “The Great Cities” duology, “The City We Became” and “The World We Make,” with the intention to develop both books into an ongoing series. “The City We Became” is set in an alternate version of the world, where major cities like New York City become sentient through human avatars. After the avatar of New York falls into a supernatural coma and vanishes, a group of five new avatars representing New York’s boroughs come together to fight their common enemy and save New York — and, potentially, the world. The collection marks Jemisin’s first books after her “Broken Earth” Trilogy, which comprised 2015’s “The Fifth Season,” 2016’s “The Obelisk Gate” and 2017’s “The Stone Sky.”

Naman Ramachandran Fremantle has deepened its relationship with Artists, Writers & Artisans, Inc. (AWA) by making a minority investment in the company. Fremantle had struck a strategic development deal with AWA Studios, the film and television division of AWA, last year. AWA is backed by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, SISTER, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. In 2021, the company established AWA Studios, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as president. Marvel alum Axel Alonso serves as co-founder and chief creative officer overseeing editorial output. Matthew Anderson, co-chair and president and Jon Miller, co-founder and co-chair, lead AWA’s executive team.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount+’s mob drama Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, will have a new showrunner for Season 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Tier One, a military thriller novel series, could be heading to the small screen.

Seth MacFarlane and his Fuzzy Door production company have signed with WME for representation. The move marks MacFarlane’s return to the agency following a move to CAA in 2017.

A television series based on the critically acclaimed comic book series Wytches is headed to Prime Video. The streaming platform has ordered an animated series adaptation of Scott Snyder and Jock’s comic books, from Plan B Entertainment, Project 51 Productions, and Amazon Studios. Wytches will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.