Alessandro Nivola To Co-Star With André Holland in The Apple Original Limited Series ‘The Big Cigar’

Sasha Urban editorHot off his Emmy nomination for his role in “Under the Banner of Heaven,” Andrew Garfield is in talks to portray billionaire business mogul Richard Branson in a limited series called “Hot Air,” Variety has confirmed. The series will be directed by David Leitch (“Deadpool 2”), with Universal International in discussions to produce.The six-part series is written by Jon Croker (“Paddington 2”), based on the book “Dirty Tricks: British Airways’ Secret War Against Virgin Atlantic” by investigative journalist Martyn Gregory.

Sometimes, a project gets announced that makes one’s head spin, based on the premise, the talent involved, or all of the above. “Hot Air” is that project this week, as Deadline reports that a limited series about Virgin Airways CEO Richard Branson‘s infamous battle against British Airways in the 1990s is in development from Universal International Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Garfield, who just landed his first Emmy nomination for FX limited series Under the Banner of Heaven, is headlining another limited series project, Hot Air, which is heating up the streaming marketplace. Garfield is set to portray Richard Branson in the project about the famous British entrepreneur, which I hear is in a competitive situation with multiple major platforms in the running. It comes from Universal International Studios, with Deadpool 2 helmer David Leitch set to direct, sources said.

Since the model launched in March 2020, FX On Hulu‘s brand has been hit or miss. Some shows like “Devs,” “Reservation Dogs,” and “The Bear,” which just premiered last month, won over critics and audiences immediately.

Since the model launched in March 2020, FX On Hulu‘s brand has been hit or miss. Some shows like “Devs,” “Reservation Dogs,” and “The Bear,” which just premiered last month, won over critics and audiences immediately.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple’s upcoming limited series “The Big Cigar” has cast P.J. Byrne in a series regular role, Variety has learned exclusively.The six-episode series stars André Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBrett Goldstein has signed with WME for representation, Variety has learned. He continues to be repped by Mosaic and Hansen Jacobson in the US, as well as B-Side Management and LARK in the UK.Goldstein is best known to American audiences for his breakout role as veteran footballer turned coach Roy Kent in the Apple sports comedy series “Ted Lasso.” He won the Emmy Award for best supporting actor in a comedy for his work on the show’s first season, with Season 2 also expected to pick up nominations when they are announced next week.Goldstein is also a writer on the show and won two WGA Awards along with the rest of the writing team on the series.

EXCLUSIVE: Marc Menchaca (Ozark) has signed on to star alongside André Holland, Don Cheadle, Alessandro Nivola and Tiffany Boone in the six-episode limited series The Big Cigar, centered on Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton (Holland), for Apple TV+.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ethan Hawke‘s recent foray into television has gone well so far. First, he nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for his role as abolitionist Jim Brown in Showtime‘s “The Good Lord Bird.” And he also looked like he relished chewing scenery in the Disney+ show “Moon Knight,” where he played cult leader Arthur Harrow.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEthan Hawke will star in and executive produce a limited series currently in development at Showtime, Variety has confirmed.The series is titled “The Whites” and is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price. It begins with the idea that every detective is haunted by their White Whale, the perpetrator who got away because the justice system failed. Billy Graves (Hawke), once a rising star in his department and former member of a group of well-respected cops called the “Wild Geese,” walks away from NYPD Homicide and joins the Nightwatch division, where his cases end when he clocks out— but his past comes calling when a seemingly straightforward murder case involving a White Whale unfolds, threatening his career, enduring friendships, and family.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTiffany Boone is set to star opposite André Holland in the Apple limited series “The Big Cigar.”The series is based on the Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman. It tells the true story of how Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton (Holland) relied in his friend Bert Schneider, the Hollywood producer behind “Easy Rider,” to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba.

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.