Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson Join Sci-Fi Series ‘Dark Matter’ at Apple

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fox has given out an early Season 2 renewal to the Jon Hamm-led animated comedy “Grimsburg” before the show has even premiered. The announcement was made by Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment, during a MIPCOM panel moderated by Variety‘s co-editor-in-chief, Cynthia Littleton. “’Grimsburg’ is yet another clear example of our strong commitment to, and intense focus on, upholding the high bar of standards any show must exceed in order to reside under the Animation Domination banner,” Thorn said. “Of course, having Jon Hamm’s talent and star power front and center is a great place to start. Equally important, everything we’re seeing with ‘Grimsburg’ – from the very first scripts and show bible to animatics and preliminary cuts – makes us believe we have a winner on our hands that beautifully complements our animation brand.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Wild Bunch TV has boarded high-concept sci-fi thriller series, “Arcadia” from Belgian production shingle, jonnydepony (“Blackout,” “Transport”). Created by Philippe De Schepper and Bas Adriaensen, “Arcadia” refers to a post-global catastrophe society where its citizens’ rights and entitlements are determined by their scores. Life is good as long as you remain “healthy, focused and efficient.”  Four sisters, Luz, Milly, Alex and Hanna, retain top scores except for Luz. Their father, anxious to save Luz from being expelled to the Outer World, alters her scores but is caught. He is banished from Arcadia and the entire family is placed under surveillance, their scores slashed. The question now is whether they can get their old lives back.

Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated actress Adriana Barraza (“Blue Beetle”) has joined Jean Reno in the family film “The Penguin and the Fisherman,” TheWrap has exclusively learned.“The Penguin and the Fisherman,” directed by David Schurmann, and co-written by Kristen Lazarain & Paulina Lagudi Ulrich and cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “127 Hours”) is based on the incredible true story of Joao Perei de Souza (Jean Reno), a Brazilian fisherman, who rescues a penguin (DinDim) covered in oil, near death, and far from his Patagonian home; washed up on a remote island beach off of Brazil. After DinDim returns to the wild, Joao is heartbroken…until a year later when DinDim returns.

The English,” starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. All six episodes of the limited series will premiere on November 11 exclusively in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics on Prime Video, following its November 10 UK premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. The series is created by Hugo Blick, who also serves as an executive producer, director and writer. The series follows aristocratic Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke, played by Blunt, and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout named Eli Whipp, played by Spencer. They come together in 1890 middle America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood.

EXCLUSIVE: Studiocanal has boarded Borgen creator Adam Price’s Danish workplace comedy Orchestra and will be shopping the show at Mipcom Cannes, as TV series boss Françoise Guyonnet talks The Wicker Man and breaking down barriers between TV and film.

First-time buyers today face an even bigger challenge when it comes to getting a foot on the property ladder. House prices have been on the rise for the past few years and on top of the cost of living crisis, which is making it more difficult to save for a deposit, mortgage repayments are now expected to rise alongside interest rates.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Goosebumps” series at Disney+ has added both Zack Morris and Isa Briones to its cast as series regulars, Variety has learned exclusively. The duo join previously announced cast members Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, and Will Price as well as Justin Long. Per the official logline, “The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together — thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries and pasts with each other — in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.” According to Disney Branded Television, the series is influenced by five of the most popular “Goosebumps” books.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter In another blow to Hulu’s series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” Todd Field has exited the project on which he was to serve as director and executive producer, Variety has learned exclusively. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the search is now on for a new director. News of Field’s departure from the show comes just days after Variety also exclusively reported that series star Keanu Reeves had bowed out as well. Field most recently wrote and directed the Cate Blanchett-led drama feature “Tár,” which debuted at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. The film received rave reviews upon its debut and is being touted as an early Oscar contender. In his review for Variety, Owen Gleiberman wrote, “The movie is breathtaking — in its drama, its high-crafted innovation, its vision. It’s a ruthless but intimate tale of art, lust, obsession, and power.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Keanu Reeves will no longer star in the Hulu series adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The show was first put into development at Hulu in 2019 and was officially ordered to series at the streamer in August 2022. It is based on the book of the same name by by Erik Larson. Per the official logline, the show “tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious ‘Murder Castle’ built in the Fair’s shadow.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Chris Messina has joined Kaley Cuoco in the Peacock dark comedy thriller series “Based on a True Story,” Variety has learned. Per the official series description, the show “is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat.” It was previously announced that Cuoco will play a married woman named Ava Bartlett, while Messina will play a character named Nathan. All other character details are under wraps. Messina’s recent TV credits include the Starz Watergate drama “Gaslit” as well as Season 3 of the popular USA Network series “The Sinner” and HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” He is perhaps best known for his role on the comedy series “The Mindy Project,” in which he starred as Danny Castellano. On the feature side, Messina has been in films like “Argo,” “Away We Go,” “Devil,” “I Care A Lot,” and “Birds of Prey.”

assassination of John Lennon … I think Chris Stein [of Blondie] put it best: ‘The ’80s murdered what was left of the ’60s.’”When an editor suggested she excavate her old photos from the decade for a possible project, Goldsmith grudgingly started going through her negatives. But as she pored over her trove of images, she realized that the 1980s were actually pretty rad.“I really saw what a creative time it was,” the Detroit native said.

“Obliterated,” the upcoming Netflix action-comedy series from the creators of “Cobra Kai,” is adding to its cast. Joining previously announced series regulars (Shelley Hennig, Nick Zano, Paola Lázaro, Eugene Kim, Alyson Gorske, Terrence Terrell, Kimi Rutledge and C. Thomas Howell) in recurring roles are Carl Lumbly, David Costabile, Costa Ronin, Lindsey Kraft, Tobias Jelinek and Minnie Mills.“Obliterated” “tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Dune” prequel series at HBO Max from Legendary Television has cast Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson in lead roles, Variety has learned. Officially titled “Dune: The Sisterhood,” the series was ordered at HBO Max in June 2019. The show is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and is based on the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Per the official logline, the show “follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit” Watson will play Valya Harkonnen and Henderson will play Tula Harkonnen. The character descriptions say the two sisters “have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become the Bene Gesserit.”

Bruce Springsteen was the special guest at The Killers‘ second Madison Square Garden show last night (October 1) – watch his three-song cameo below.Brandon Flowers and co. were playing their second of two dates at the legendary New York venue in support of their albums ‘Imploding the Mirage’ and ‘Pressure Machine’.During the show, Springsteen came on stage to perform the pair’s 2021 collaboration ‘Dustland’ as well as his hits ‘Badlands’ and ‘Born To Run’, joined by his bandmate Jake Clemons, the saxophonist nephew of the late and legendary E Street Band member Clarence Clemons.“That’s a hell of a band,” Springsteen told Flowers of his admiration of The Killers and their live show in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Oakes Fegley (The Fabelmans, The Goldfinch) and Dayo Okeniyi (See, Rise) are set as leads opposite Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly in Dark Matter, an adaptation of Blake Crouch’s acclaimed sci-fi novel, at Apple TV+. In addition to Edgerton and Connelly, they join previously announced series regulars Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson in the series from Sony Television and also executive produced by Edgerton.

Alice Braga (Queen of the South) and Jimmi Simpson (Pachinko) are set as leads opposite Joel Edgerton in Dark Matter, an adaptation of Blake Crouch’s acclaimed sci-fi novel, at Apple TV+. As previously announced, Jennifer Connelly also stars in the series from Sony Television and also executive produced by Edgerton.

EXCLUSIVE: American Horror Story‘s Jessica Belkin and Watchman‘s Malin Akerman are starring in Nick Wilson’s first time feature directorial Singing in My Sleep.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jim Gaffigan has joined the cast of the HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. Along with Gaffigan, the ensemble cast of the six-episode series now includes Zazie Beetz, Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Jharrel Jerome, Sheyi Cole, and CCH Pounder. Per the official description of the series, “An investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City.” Gaffigan is best known for his stand up comedy career, having released specials like “Beyond the Pale,” “King Baby,” “Mr. Universe,” “Obsessed,” “Cinco,” “Noble Ape,” “Quality Time,” “The Pale Tourist,” and “Comedy Monster,” the last of which premiered on Netflix last December. He has received six Grammy nominations over the course of his career. Gaffigan has played many comedic roles as an actor, but has taken on more dramatic roles recently, such as the films “American Dreamer,” “Above the Shadows,” and “Light from Light.” He can currently be seen opposite Ethan Hawke in the IFC Films feature “Tesla.”