Taika Waititi’s ‘Time Bandits’ Series at Apple Sets Main Cast, Including Lisa Kudrow and Charlene Yi

Good Grief, the feature directorial debut from Schitt’s Creek multi-Emmy winner Dan Levy, has set its cast including Loving Oscar nominee Ruth Negga, Yesterday‘s Himesh Patel, Beauty and the Beast‘s Luke Evans as well as Celia Imrie(Better Things, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Arnaud Valois (BPM (Beats Per Minute), Spring Blossom),David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones) and Jamael Westman.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fox has given out an early Season 2 renewal to the Jon Hamm-led animated comedy “Grimsburg” before the show has even premiered. The announcement was made by Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment, during a MIPCOM panel moderated by Variety‘s co-editor-in-chief, Cynthia Littleton. “’Grimsburg’ is yet another clear example of our strong commitment to, and intense focus on, upholding the high bar of standards any show must exceed in order to reside under the Animation Domination banner,” Thorn said. “Of course, having Jon Hamm’s talent and star power front and center is a great place to start. Equally important, everything we’re seeing with ‘Grimsburg’ – from the very first scripts and show bible to animatics and preliminary cuts – makes us believe we have a winner on our hands that beautifully complements our animation brand.”

Ellise Shafer “RHONY” stars Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps are trading New York City for small-town life in upcoming spinoff series “Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake.” Coming to Bravo in 2023, “Welcome to Crappie Lake” will follow the two socialites as they travel to the small town of Benton, Ill. According to the show’s official logline, Morgan and de Lesseps will “help spruce up their small town, which has a population just shy of 7,000. It’s a fish-out-of-water experience for everyone involved, especially when the two Manhattanites check in to the local motel. At the request of the mayor, they take on tasks to boost morale and galvanize the town with new spirit. From building a new playground to revitalizing the local theater with a full-on variety show, Luann and Sonja have their work cut out for them as they embrace their new temporary home. Whether searching for the town’s famous crappie fish in the lake with their bare hands or going mudding with monster trucks, one thing is for certain – with Luann and Sonja in charge and out of their element, hijinks and hilarity are sure to follow.”

The Berlinale has introduced an award for best TV series and set 2023 dates.

As the winter months draw closer and our bills begin to increase, the cost-of-living crisis is going to hit harder for thousands of households across the country. Almost 90 percent of adults in the UK reported an increase in their living costs in July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Goosebumps” series at Disney+ has added both Zack Morris and Isa Briones to its cast as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively. The duo join previously announced cast members Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, and Will Price as well as Justin Long. Per the official logline, “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.” According to Disney Branded Television, the series is influenced by five of the most popular “Goosebumps” books.

We're not going to scare you by telling you how many weekends it is until Christmas but it's safe to say that many shoppers are already getting ahead with their present shopping. And if you have a Harry Potter fan in your life, you might want to check out Amazon for some truly magical deals.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Keanu Reeves will no longer star in the Hulu series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The show was first put into development at Hulu in 2019 and was officially ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022. It is based on the book of the same name by by Erik Larson. Per the official logline, the show “tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious ‘Murder Castle’ built in the Fair’s shadow.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Chris Messina has joined Kaley Cuoco in the Peacock dark comedy thriller series “Based on a True Story,” Variety has learned. Per the official series description, the show “is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat.” It was previously announced that Cuoco will play a married woman named Ava Bartlett, while Messina will play a character named Nathan. All other character details are under wraps. Messina’s recent TV credits include the Starz Watergate drama “Gaslit” as well as Season 3 of the popular USA Network series “The Sinner” and HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” He is perhaps best known for his role on the comedy series “The Mindy Project,” in which he starred as Danny Castellano. On the feature side, Messina has been in films like “Argo,” “Away We Go,” “Devil,” “I Care A Lot,” and “Birds of Prey.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian twin directors Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo have started shooting in Rome on “Dostoevskij,” an eclectic detective drama involving a policeman with a troubled past. This first TV series written and directed by the D’Innocenzo brothers – who are known on the festival circuit for dark dramas “Boy’s Cry,” “Bad Tales” and “America Latina” – is an in-house Sky Studios production produced by the Comcast-owned pay-TV player with Rome’s Paco Cinematografica.  Filippo Timi (“Vincere,” “The Eight Mountains”) stars as Enzo Vitello, a sharp detective with a troubled past, who winds up on the blood trail of a ruthless serial killer, nicknamed Dostoevskij because of letters full of gruesome details that he leaves at crime scenes.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Dune” prequel series at HBO Max from Legendary Television has cast Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson in lead roles, Variety has learned. Officially titled “Dune: The Sisterhood,” the series was ordered at HBO Max in June 2019. The show is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and is based on the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Per the official logline, the show “follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit” Watson will play Valya Harkonnen and Henderson will play Tula Harkonnen. The character descriptions say the two sisters “have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become the Bene Gesserit.”

Apple Original Films has dated the run-from-slavery thriller Emancipation for a December 2 theatrical opening, followed by a December 9 release on its Apple TV+ streaming site. This follows the film’s first showing in DC on Saturday, with star Will Smith and director Antoine Fuqua (who flew in from Italy, where he and Denzel Washington are shooting a third Equalizer film) discussed the fact-based film in a screening orchestrated by Apple and NAACP during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Legislative Conference.

EXCLUSIVE: Addie Weyrich, Sydney Kuhne and Sabrina Wu are set as leads in FX’s untitled half-hour comedy written by Lauren Ludwig (American Auto, Rob Riggle’s Ski Master Academy).

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson are the latest additions to Apple’s series adaptation of the Blake Crouch novel “Dark Matter.” The pair join previously announced leads Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly. The nine-episode series was ordered at Apple back in March. Per the official description of the show, it follows “Jason Dessen, (Edgerton) a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago – is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jim Gaffigan has joined the cast of the HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. Along with Gaffigan, the ensemble cast of the six-episode series now includes Zazie Beetz, Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Jharrel Jerome, Sheyi Cole, and CCH Pounder. Per the official description of the series, “An investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City.” Gaffigan is best known for his stand up comedy career, having released specials like “Beyond the Pale,” “King Baby,” “Mr. Universe,” “Obsessed,” “Cinco,” “Noble Ape,” “Quality Time,” “The Pale Tourist,” and “Comedy Monster,” the last of which premiered on Netflix last December. He has received six Grammy nominations over the course of his career. Gaffigan has played many comedic roles as an actor, but has taken on more dramatic roles recently, such as the films “American Dreamer,” “Above the Shadows,” and “Light from Light.” He can currently be seen opposite Ethan Hawke in the IFC Films feature “Tesla.”

Disney+ and National Geographic’s anthology series has found the ensemble cast of its upcoming “Genius: MLK/X.” Portraying the pioneering leaders of the Civil Rights Movement are Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“Waves,” “Elvis”) as Dr.

Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback) has been tapped to lead the ensemble cast of Time Bandits, Apple’s TV series adaptation of the beloved Terry Gilliam-directed movie, co-written, directed and executive produced by Taika Waititi (Our Flag Means Death), Joining Kudrow as series regulars are Kal-El Tuck (Unseeing Evil), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Tadhg Murphy (Conversations With Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane) and Rachel House (Heartbreak High). The casting announcement also confirms the official series greenlight for the project, which had been in development at Apple since 2019.

Back in March 2019, it was reported that Taika Waititi had worked out a deal to co-write and direct a new reimagining of “Time Bandits” for Apple TV+. However, since then, there really hasn’t been much concrete news about the show.