Whoopi Goldberg to Play Bird Woman in Amazon’s Neil Gaiman Series ‘Anansi Boys’

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe Netflix spy series led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro has set its main cast, Variety has learned.Appearing in series regular roles in the series are: Jay Baruchel, Aparna Brielle, Andy Buckley, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Barbara Eve Harris, Gabriel Luna, Fabiana Udenio, and Travis Van Winkle. Additionally, the following actors will appear in recurring roles: Devon Bostick, David Chinchilla, Rachel Lynch, Stephanie Sy, and Scott Thompson.Full character descriptions for all the new cast members can be found below.The untitled spy drama was ordered at Netflix in May 2021, with the streamer giving the one-hour show an eight episode order.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterWell, that was fast. AMC has formally greenlit the dramedy series “Straight Man” starring Bob Odenkirk a little over two weeks after announcing the show as in development.The show is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Russo. It is described as a mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIlana Glazer is in talks to star in and executive produce a comedy series currently in the works at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is titled “The Suck” and hails from writer and executive producer Ally Israelson. The show asks the question “What if the last year on earth was the best year of your life?” It follows Lydia (Glazer) to London, in search of an other-worldly end.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBenjamin Bratt has been cast in the Natasha Lyonne-led Peacock series “Poker Face,” which hails from creator Rian Johnson.Variety has learned exclusively that Bratt is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding cast. Another recently announced cast members include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, and David Castañeda. Plot and character details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode.Bratt most recently appeared opposite Rosario Dawson in the HBO Max limited series “DMZ,” which debuted in March on the streamer.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Genius” Season 4 will now focus on both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.When the fourth season was originally announced in December 2020, it was reported that it would solely focus on King.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDominique Fishback has been cast in the lead role of Donald Glover and Janine Naber’s upcoming Amazon series.Plot details for the show are being kept under wraps, though it has previously been reported that it will focus on a “Beyonce-like figure,” presumably played by Fishback. Glover had previously spoken to Variety about the project during the “Atlanta” premiere red carpet, which can be seen below.Fishback has been on a hot streak of late, currently starring in the Apple series “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” alongside Samuel L.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLee Daniels’ long-gestating Sammy Davis Jr. biographical series has been ordered at Hulu, with Elijah Kelley set to play the lead role.The untitled series has received an eight-episode order at the streamer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has commissioned a new Canadian original comedy series titled “The Sticky,” Variety has learned.The series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The English language half-hour series will be set in Quebec.It revolves around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSeth MacFarlane’s “Ted” series adaptation at Peacock is taking shape. Variety has learned the live-action comedy has added three new cast members as well as co-showrunners.Firstly, MacFarlane is officially onboard to reprise the voice role of Ted, the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear he played in the two “Ted” movies. This is in addition to creating the series and serving as executive producer, director, and co-showrunner.Giorgia Whigham, Max Burkholder, and frequent MacFarlane collaborator Scott Grimes have also been cast in the show. Furthermore, “Modern Family” executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh have joined the series to serve as co-showrunners, writers, and executive producers.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBel Powley, Liev Schreiber, and Joe Cole are set to lead the limited drama series “A Small Light” at Disney Plus, Variety has learned.The eight-episode National Geographic series tells the true story of Miep Gies (Powley), who played a critical role in hiding Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis.20-something secretary Gies didn’t hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe action series “The Ledger” starring Xolo Maridueña has been set up at HBO Max for development, Variety has learned exclusively.The half-hour series was first reported as being shopped to networks and streamers back in October. It follows the trials and travels of Gabriel (Maridueña), a young man who sets out into the world to right the wrongs of the deadly man who trained him.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA new live-action series about Casper the Friendly Ghost is in development at Peacock, Variety has learned.The potential series hails from writer and executive producer Kai Yu Wu, with UCP and DreamWorks Animation set to co-produce.The series is described as a horror/adventure show that reimagines the origin of Casper in a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be alive. When a new family arrives in the small town of Eternal Falls, Casper finds himself entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years.Wu has previously written for shows such as “Hannibal” at NBC as well as “The Flash” at CW and “Deception” at ABC.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has given a series order to the drama “Glamorous,” which was previously set up as a pilot at The CW.The show has received a 10-episode order, with Miss Benny set to star. It tells the story of Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a young gender non-conforming queer man whose life seems to be stuck in place until he lands a job working for legendary makeup mogul Madolyn Addison. It’s Marco’s first chance to figure out what he wants out of life, who he actually is, and what it really means for him to be queer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney Plus has cast Walker Scobell in the lead role, Variety has learned exclusively.The series adaptation of the Rick Riordan book series was ordered at the streamer back in January. The live-action show tells the fantastical tale of the titular 12-year-old modern demigod (Scobell), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.Percy is described as a smart and compassionate kid with a sharp sense of humor.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has given a straight-to-series order to the comedic thriller “Based on a True Story.”The series hails from writer, executive producer, and showrunner Craig Rosenberg. Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films will also executive produce, with Roxie Rodriguez of Aggregate co-executive producing.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has ordered the limited series “The Big Cigar” about Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, Variety has learned.The six-episode series hails from Warner Bros. Television, with André Holland in talks to star as Newton.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMaya Erskine will star opposite Donald Glover in the upcoming “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” series at Amazon.Erskine takes over the co-starring role from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who had originally been set to star alongside Glover but departed the project last year due to creative differences. Glover revealed the new casting in an interview with himself in Interview Magazine.The series is based on Doug Liman’s feature of the same name starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has greenlit the pyschological thriller series “Constellations” with Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks attached to star, Variety has learned.In “Constellation,” Rapace stars as Jo, a woman who returns to Earth after a disaster in space only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The series is further described as a space adventure, an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and for her to recover all that she has lost.Apple has given the show a 10 episode order.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJessica Williams has signed on to star opposite Jason Segel and Harrison Ford in the Apple comedy series “Shrinking,” Variety has learned.In addition, James Ponsoldt has boarded the show to direct multiple episodes and executive produce. That marks a reunion for Ponsoldt and Segel, who previously worked together on the film “The End of the Tour.”“Shrinking” follows Jimmy (Segel), a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRob Lowe and his son, John Owen Lowe, have teamed with Victor Fresco on the Netflix comedy series “Unstable,” Variety has learned.The Lowes will star in the series and also co-created it with Fresco, with all three serving as executive producers. It is set in a cutting-edge biotech research company, following an introverted, socially-challenged son who goes to work for his very successful, wildly eccentric father in order to save him from disaster.