WWE Names Fox Sports Executive Claudine Lilien as Head of Global Sales and Partnerships (EXCLUSIVE)

Although it had been in the works for a while, today’s virtual upfront presentation by Fox Sports packed uncanny punch after Thursday’s big mask news.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has given a straight-to-series orders to a drama series that hails from David Shore, Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, Variety has learned.The series, titled “Accused,” is based on the BBC series of the same name that aired from 2010-2012. The Fox version is slated to debut during the 2022-2023 broadcast season.“We take great pride in Fox’s legacy of bold risk taking and inventive storytelling,” said Charlie Collier, CEO of Fox Entertainment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTV super-producer Nigel Lythgoe is partnering with Triller Fight Club on a new unscripted competition series called “So You Think You Can Fight,” Variety has learned exclusively.“So You Think You Can Fight” will follow in a similar format to “So You Think You Can Dance.” The weekly, hour-long series will pair a celebrity action star with a pro fighter, each who will select an amateur boxer through a global talent search and competition, along with audience voting and

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJackée Harry and George Wallace have joined the cast of the Freeform comedy pilot “Everything’s Trash” in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively.The iconic pair join previously announced series star Phoebe Robinson in the half-hour pilot. It follows Phoebe, a 30-something podcast star navigating her messy life.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The White House Plumbers” series at HBO is rounding out its main cast.Kiernan Shipka, Ike Barinholtz, Yul Vazquez, David Krumholtz, Rich Sommer, Kim Coates, and Liam James have all been cast in the series. They join previously announced cast members Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domnhall Gleason, and Lena Headey.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterYaya DaCosta has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming Fox drama series “Our Kind of People,” Variety has learned.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has canceled “Prodigal Son” after two seasons, Variety has learned.The news comes ahead of the second season finale, which is scheduled to air on May 18.The series follows Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), a criminal profiler with a rare talent for getting inside the minds of killers. He learned how they think because his father, DR.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has ordered the single-camera comedy “Pivoting” for its 2021-2022 broadcast season lineup.The half-hour series stars Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Maggie Q as three women dealing with the death of their childhood best friend.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe untitled “Goonies” reenactment pilot and “Blood Relative” are no longer moving ahead at Fox, Variety has learned.The two projects were holdovers from Fox’s 2020 pilot season that were delayed in shooting due to the pandemic. The decision to ax “Blood Relative” comes as something of a surprise, given that it starred Oscar winner Melissa Leo in the lead role.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has ordered the drama series “The Cleaning Lady” for the 2021-2022 broadcast season.The one-hour show was originally ordered to pilot last year, but production was delayed by the pandemic. Elodie Young stars as Thony, a whip-smart doctor who comes to the U.S.

Angelique Jackson STX Films has named Nasim Cambron executive vice president of publicity, Adam Fogelson, chairman of STX films motion picture group, announced Thursday.Cambron rejoins STX Films to oversee all feature film publicity for the studio, after a stint as publicity manager in Netflix’s feature film division.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMecum Auctions has signed with UTA for representation, Variety has learned exclusively.Mecum Auctions is the world leader of collector car, antique motorcycles, antique farm tractors and road art sales.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKym Whitley and Danny Garcia have been cast in recurring roles in the Amazon YA pilot “Hot Pink,” Variety has learned exclusively.The pair joins previously announced stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy, as well as fellow recurring star David Arquette.The show is loosely inspired by Elana K.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDiscovery Plus is venturing into scripted development, with the streamer acquiring the TV rights to the book “Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman,” Variety has learned exclusively.The move to develop the series, which is in the very early stages, is significant given that Discovery Plus is largely made up of original unscripted programming and library content from channels like HGTV, TLC, Discovery Channel, and Food Network among others.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAmazon Prime Video has once again put a pause on its annual in-person Emmy FYC pop-up events space due to the pandemic.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBassett Vance Productions, the production company formed by Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, has hired Lynnette Ramirez as head of development, Variety has learned exclusively.Ramirez is tasked with finding and developing diverse stories with a strong emphasis on BIPOC voices in front of and behind the camera for multiple platforms.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLena Headey has joined the HBO series “The White House Plumbers,” which delves into the Watergate scandal, Variety has learned.Headey joins previously announced cast members Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, and Domhnall Gleeson. The five-episode series tells the story of how President Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox has ordered the dramedy “The Big Leap” to series for the 2021-2022 broadcast season.The one-hour show was originally ordered to pilot last year, but production was shutdown by the pandemic.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterWarner Bros. Pictures Group has named Alissa Grayson as executive vice president of global publicity.Grayson will join the studio from STX Films, where she’s served as co-president of marketing since 2017.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Ironheart” series at Disney Plus has tapped Chinaka Hodge to serve as head writer, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.“Ironheart” will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.