Tracy Oliver Sets Overall Deal at Apple

Manchester United soccer star Paul Pogba has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios and set his first project with the streaming giant: A documentary series about his life, titled The Pogmentary.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSerena Williams has signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon, which includes a docuseries about her personal and professional life.“I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience,” Williams said.

Superstore actor Lauren Ash is staying in business with NBCUniversal after signing an overall deal that includes a commitment for her to write her own comedy pilot.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” alum Lauren Ash has inked an overall talent and development deal with NBCUniversal.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAdepero Oduye has been cast in the upcoming Apple series “Five Days at Memorial.”Oduye joins previously announced cast member Vera Farmiga. The series is based on the Sheri Fink novel of the same name.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer-producer Vanessa Ramos is expanding her relationship with Universal Television with a multi-year overall deal. Under the pact, Ramos will develop and produce projects for a variety of television platforms for Universal TV, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTom Holland is set to star in “The Crowded Room,” an anthology series from Akiva Goldsman that has been ordered at Apple.The first season of the series will be based on the biography “The Minds of Billy Milligan” by Daniel Keyes. It tells the story of Billy Milligan (Holland), the first person ever acquitted of a crime because of Multiple Personality Disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder).

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Apple drama series “The Essex Serpent” has added four actors to its cast.Frank Dillane, Hayley Squires, Clémence Poésy, and Jamael Westman will join series leads Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in the show, which is an adaptation of the Sarah Perry novel of the same name.The one-hour drama series follows newly widowed Cora (Danes) who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalia Anderson will direct the ABC single-camera comedy pilot “Maggie,” Variety has learned exclusively.Anderson started out as a director and producer on the CBS comedy series “Life in Pieces,” directing multiple episodes. Other TV directing credits for Anderson include “Black-ish,” “Single Parents,” “Brews Brothers,” “Grown-ish,” “American Housewife,” and “Perfect Harmony.” She previously worked at Brownstone Productions under Elizabeth Banks.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Three of Us,” a comedy pilot at CBS, is no longer moving forward at the network.The multi-camera pilot was a holdover from CBS’ 2020 pilot crop, which was thrown into disarray due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It starred Oliver Hudson, Malin Akerman, Brent Morin, and Vanessa Lachey.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEugenio Derbez’s upcoming Apple comedy series “Acapulco” has added four new cast members, with Richard Shepard now onboard to direct the pilot.Enrique Arrizon, Damian Alcázar, Camila Perez, and Raphael Alejandro will all star alongside Derbez in the half-hour series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWWE and NBCUniversal have signed a new multi-year deal that will keep NXT on USA Network. In addition, NXT will be moving from Wednesday to Tuesday nights beginning April 13.Speaking with Variety, WWE executive vice president of global talent strategy and development Paul Levesque said that the decision to initially have the show on Wednesdays was to keep things consistent with its original timeslot on WWE Network.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGeorge R.R. Martin is staying in business with HBO, with the author signing a massive five-year overall deal with the premium cabler.The deal will see Martin develop new projects for both HBO and HBO Max.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDon Cheadle will serve as the narrator on the “Wonder Years” reboot pilot currently in the works at ABC, Variety has confirmed.Cheadle will voice the adult version of main character Dean, who will played by Elisha Williams. Daniel Stern served as the narrator on the original series.The pilot will show how a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama in the turbulent late 1960s, made sure it was The Wonder Years for them too.

Tracy Oliver, the writer behind “Girls Trip,” “Little” and “The Sun Is Also a Star,” has signed an overall deal with Apple.Apple landed the multiyear deal with Oliver in a competitive bidding situation. The deal will span original TV series and films, all through Oliver’s Tracy Yvonne Productions banner.

Tracy Oliver, the co-writer of Girls Trip and creator of The First Wives Club, has signed an overall deal with Apple.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKrista Vernoff has renewed her multi-year overall deal at ABC Signature.Vernoff will continue to serve as president of Trip the Light Productions, with Alexandre Schmitt serving as president of production and development. In addition, Kasha Foster has been named Trip the Light’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDulé Hill and Laura Kariuki have been cast in “The Wonder Years” reboot pilot at ABC, Variety has learned.They join previously announced cast members Elisha Williams, who will play main character Dean, and Saycon Sengbloh, who will play family matriarch Lillian.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVera Farmiga has been cast in a lead role of the Apple drama series “Five Days at Memorial,” Variety has learned.The series is based on the Sheri Fink novel of the same name. It chronicles the first five days in a New Orleans, LA, hospital after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.