‘The Staircase,’ ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ and More Limited Series Scribes Talk ‘Tightrope’ of Writing About Real People

Lost Ollie won’t be much longer: The limited series featuring voiceovers by Mary J Blige, Jonathan Groff and Tim Blake Nelson — plus Gina Rodriguez and Jake Johnson in starring roles as momma and daddy — can be found Aug. 24 on Netflix.

Michael Douglas is Benjamin Franklin.

When Kate Winslet teams up with HBO on a limited series, magical things happen. Or at least that’s what’s happened the last two times.

EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Patel (The Valet, Meet the Patels) is set to recur in the FX limited series Justified: City Primeval in the role of Rick Newley, Deadline has learned.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKate Winslet is returning to HBO, with the acclaimed actress set to star in a limited series for the network based on Hernan Diaz’s novel “Trust.”The rights to the novel were acquired by HBO in a competitive situation. The series is currently in development with the search on for a writer to adapt the book for the screen.

three endings to the romance drama. “I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping, ‘Gone With the Wind’-style epic and turn it on its head — a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the ‘Stolen Generations,‘” Luhrmann noted in a statement.“While ‘Australia,’ the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore,” he said.“Drawn from the same material, ‘Faraway Downs’ is a new variation on ‘Australia’ for audiences to discover,” the “Great Gatsby” director added.“Australia” told the tale of an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who inherits a cattle station called Faraway Downs following the death of her husband on the brink of World War II.She teams up with a cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) when Australian barons want to infiltrate her land and take over the territory.

Fans of Mare of Easttown may not have to wait too much longer for another HBO limited series starring Kate Winslet: The two-time Emmy winner is set to star in and produce an adaptation of Hernan Diaz’s 2022 novel Trust.

An expanded and reimagined cut of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia is set to premiere on Disney streaming platforms as a six-part limited series.

Fresh off the success of “Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann announced today that he will reimagine his 2008 film “Australia” into a six-part Hulu series called “Faraway Downs.” The extended cut, which will debut in winter of this year, will feature new footage from the movie, which stars Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. It will also include a new ending and updated soundtrack.“I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping ‘Gone With the Wind’–style epic and turn it on its head.

Moses Ingram, fresh from starring in Disney+’s Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, has joined the Apple TV+ and Endeavor Content limited series Lady in the Lake.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

Netflix is giving fans a first look at their upcoming limited series, Keep Breathing!

Director, actress, writer, producer, and editor Isabel Sandoval is a trans Filipina filmmaking Auteur who made history with her third feature film Lingua Franca at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section. It is the first film directed by and starring a trans woman of color to screen in competition. Lingua Franca was nominated for the 2021 Film Independent John Cassavetes Spirit Award. 

Wilson Chapman editorNetflix is developing a new limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” Variety has confirmed.The series will be written by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather, Elia Kazan, helmed the 1955 film adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel. Florence Pugh is attached to star in the series, though the character she will play remains unconfirmed.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is developing a limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel East of Eden with Zoe Kazan writing and exec producing and Florence Pugh attached to star and co-produce.

In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast, co-host Mike DeAngelo dives back into “Under the Banner of Heaven.” The show follows a devout Mormon detective Jeb Pyre (played by Andrew Garfield) whose faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS Mormon fundamentalism and their distrust in the government. There’s a terrific supporting cast involved too, including Gil Birmingham, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough, Wyatt Russell, Billy Howle, Chloe Pirrie, Adelaide Clemens, Rory Culkin, and more.

Tiffany Boone (Hunters) is set to star alongside Andre Holland in The Big Cigar, Apple’s limited series that chronicles the story of Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba, from Claws showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois, Don Cheadle, Joshuah Bearman and Warner Bros. TV.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeMy recent column about the plight of awards consultants in this age of Too Much TV clearly struck a nerve. Among everything I’ve written about the Emmys this year, it’s received the most reaction — mostly from publicists nodding their heads in frustration with the jam of events and campaigns.Since I’m apparently in a solicitous mood, this time I’ll turn my attention to the awards rule makers at the Television Academy — the folks who receive the lion’s share of ire this time of year, including in columns such as this.

Billy Crystal is attached to star and executive produce new limited series “Before,” where he will play Eli, a child psychiatrist and recent widower who encounters a troubled young boy. Apple TV+ has picked up the show hailing from Paramount Television.Sarah Thorp (“The Bounty Hunter”) will serve as writer, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (“Dopesick”) attached to direct.

K.J. Yossman “Paris in Harlem” director Christina Kallas is set to direct limited series ‘The Second Attack’ for ARD Mediathek, Variety can exclusively reveal.The six-part political thriller envisions what would happen if an “unthinkable war” were to take place on the world stage.Oliver Bottini (“Algiers Confidential”) has written the screenplay alongside Abdel Raouf Dafri (“A Prophet”) and Frédéric Jardin (“Braquo”).“Inspired by true events, ‘The Second Attack’ follows Alex, a young German who tries to uncover the truth about the murder of his father in 2003, a sniper for the Bundeswehr,” reads the official logline.