Chloé Zhao Signs First-Look TV Deal With Searchlight Television

Lindsay Lohan is “bearing gifts” early this holiday season.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter A “Harley Quinn” Valentine’s Day special is coming to HBO Max. Titled “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special,” the new installment of the popular adult animated series will debut on HBO Max in February 2023. Per the official logline, “The special will feature Harley and Ivy celebrating their very first Valentine’s Day together, while also revealing how the rest of the ragtag crew spends the gushiest, mushiest, most romantic day of the year.” “Harley Quinn” recently concluded its third season, with HBO Max commissioning a fourth season in August. It was one of the DC projects that survived the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger, in which a number of planned DC related films and shows were scrapped.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE is shaking up their commentary teams, Variety has learned exclusively. Beginning with this week’s season premiere episode of “SmackDown,” the commentary team for the shows will be as follows: On “SmackDown,” Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be the main commentators, with Barrett moving over from the “NXT” commentary team. Samantha Irvin will serve as the ring announcer, with Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant serving as backstage interviewers. At “Monday Night Raw,” Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves will the commentary team. Patrick has worked as a backstage correspondent, a play-by-play commentator for “WWE Main Event,” and the host of “Raw Talk.” Mike Rome will be the ring announcer. Cathy Kelley and Byron Saxton will conduct onscreen interviews. Kelley is returning to WWE after leaving the company in 2020. Saxton has been working on the “Raw” commentary desk along with Graves and Jimmy Smith of late.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jodie Whittaker has signed with Verve for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. The English actress will continue to be managed by Brian DePersia at Cognition and represented in the UK by Will Hollinshead at Independent Talent Group. Whittaker is best known for taking over the iconic role of Doctor Who in the long-running sci-fi series of the same name. She was announced as the thirteenth incarnation of The Doctor in 2017, making her the first woman to hold the role in the show’s six decade history. She made her first appearance on “Doctor Who” in 2017 in the Christmas special episode “Twice Upon a Time” before taking over the role full-time in 2018. She announced she would be stepping down as The Doctor in July 2021, with her final appearances set to be a series of three special episodes, the last of which is due to air later in October.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Manti Te’o has signed on with UTA for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. With the signing, UTA will help Te’o work across a variety of areas, including broadcasting, public speaking, publishing, unscripted television, and audio. Te’o is known for his standout college football career. He was one of the most sought after high school recruits in the country when he entered college, eventually enrolling at Notre Dame University and joining the Fighting Irish as a linebacker. He played for Notre Dame from 2009-2012. He racked up impressive stats, including All-American honors and securing 437 tackles over the course of his time there. He was the captain of the team in 2012 and led Notre Dame against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game that same year. He is also one of the most decorated players in college football, winning top honors such as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award. Te’o was a finalist for the Heisman trophy in 2012 as well.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Anders Holm has joined the cast of the live-action Godzilla and the Titans series at Apple in a recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Holm is the latest addition to the the series, joining previously announced cast members Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell and Mari Yamamoto. Character details are being kept under wraps. The show hails from Legendary Television and is a part of the company’s growing Monsterverse franchise. Per the official description of the series, “Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the untitled series will explore one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Coolio recorded lines for the “Futurama” revival at Hulu just weeks before his death at age 59. “Futurama” executive producer David X. Cohen told TMZ that the rapper reprised his role as Kwanzaa-bot for the revival, even recording some new music as the character. Fans of the series will recall that Kwanzaa-bot was the counterpart to Robot Santa and the Chanukah Zombie. Every year he flies around the world distributing a book called “What the Hell is Kwanza [sic]?” He originally appeared in the Season 4 episode “A Tale of Two Santas” and again in the Season 7 episode “The Futurama Holiday Spectacular.” He also made a cameo in the “Futurama” film “Bender’s Big Score.”

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Frost, who recently left his post as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, has set up a production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, and has signed a first-look TV production deal with the indie studio. Under the pact, Frost is executive producing the high-profile new series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, starring Rhea Seehorn, which just landed at Apple TV+ with a big, two-season straight-to-series order.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Chloe Bennet has signed on for a recurring role in Season 3 of “Dave” at FXX, Variety has learned exclusively. Bennet will appear in a multi-episode arc as Robyn, a photographer from Wisconsin whom Dave meets while on tour. Bennet is known for her role in the ABC-Marvel series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” on which she starred as Daisy “Skye” Johnson, a.k.a Quake, throughout the show’s seven-season run. Her other notable roles include the ABC music drama “Nashville” and the animated Dreamworks film “Abominable.” She will reprise her “Abominable” role in the upcoming spinoff series “Abominable and the Invisible City,” which bows in October on Hulu. She is repped by CAA and Robby Koch at Hansen Jacobson.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Laura Prepon has signed with Mainstay Entertainment for representation in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively. Prepon continues to be represented by Myman Greenspan as well as Max Ulanoff at UTA for branding. “Laura’s multifaceted and unique creative voice as an actor, director, writer, and entrepreneur makes her a perfect fit for our company and our approach to management,” said Mainstay CEO Norman Aladjem. Prepon is best known for her starring role in the hit Fox sitcom “That 70’s Show,” on which she played Donna Pinciotti throughout the show’s eight-season run. She will reprise the role in the Netflix followup “That 90’s Show,” which is currently awaiting release. She is also known for playing Alex Vause in the groundbreaking Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” which ran for seven seasons at the streamer. In addition to starring, Prepon directed multiple episodes of the show.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Time Bandits” TV series at Apple from Taika Waititi has found its main cast, Variety has learned. Joining the series are: Lisa Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback” as Penelope; Kal-El Tuck (“Unseeing Evil,” “Band in the Sand”) as Kevin; Charlyne Yi (“Knocked up,” “Paper Heart”) as Judy; Tadhg Murphy (“Conversations with Friends,” “Black Sails”) as Alto; Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (“You Don’t know Me,” “Tomb Raider”) as Widgit; Rune Temte (“The Last Kingdom,” “Captain Marvel”) as Bittelig; Kiera Thompson (“Martyrs Lane,” “Salisbury Poisonings”) as Saffron; and Rachel House (“Heartbreak High,” “Thor Ragnarok”) as Fianna.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sheyi Cole has joined the ensemble cast of the upcoming HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. The six-episode series hails from writer Ed Solomon and director Steven Soderbergh. Per the official description, “An investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City.” Cole joins previously announced cast members Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Zazie Beetz, Timothy Olyphant, and Jharrel Jerome. Cole made his onscreen debut in the Amazon anthology series “Small Axe,” playing the title role of Wheatle in the fourth episode of the series. He has since gone on to star in the film “Boxing Day” and in an episode of Season 3 of the hit FX series “Atlanta.” Next up, he will be seen in the Netflix film “The Beautiful Game.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Vince Gilligan has landed a two-season order at Apple for a new series. “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn will lead the untitled show. More to come…

Joe Otterson TV Reporter A series version of the David Cronenberg film “Scanners” is in development at HBO, Variety has confirmed. Per the official description, the series is “set in the mind-bending world of David Cronenberg’s seminal film. Pursued by relentless agents with unimaginable powers, two women living on the fringes of modern society must learn to work together to topple a vast conspiracy determined to bring them to heel.” William Bridges (“Black Mirror,” “Stranger Things”) will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the series. Yann Demange (“’71,” “Lovecraft Country) will direct and executive produce via Wayward Films. Cronenberg, who wrote and directed the original film, will serve as an executive producer. Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer will executive produce on behalf of Media Res Studio. Meredith Duff and Sarah Sullivan of Wayward Films will also executive produce along with René Malo and Fanny-Laure Malo, Pierre David, Clark Peterson, and Aaron Gilbert. The show is a co-production between HBO, Media Res Studio, and Wayward Films.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to an adult animated comedy that will reunite “Silicon Valley” co-creator Mike Judge and series star Zach Woods. Titled “In the Know,” the new animated series is co-created and executive produced by Judge, Woods, and Brandon Gardner. Judge and Woods will also lend their voices to the series. The pickup of the show marks Peacock’s first adult animated series order. The show’s official logline reads, “Lauren Caspian is NPR’s third most popular host. He’s a well-meaning, hypocritical nimrod, just like you and me. He’s also a stop motion puppet. Each episode follows the making of an episode of Lauren’s show In the Know, in which Lauren conducts in-depth interviews with real world human guests. Lauren collaborates with a diverse crew of NPR staff. They are also puppets and nimrods.”

Is Chloé Zhao headed to the small screen? It looks that way, as the “Eternals” director has signed a multi-year first-look TV deal with Searchlight Television. The deal reunites Zhao and Searchlight after their super-successful “Nomadland,” which won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress at 93rd Academy Awards.   READ MORE: Patton Oswalt Seemingly Confirms ‘Eternals 2’ In The Works With Chloe Zhao Returning To Direct The deal is Zhao’s first foray into television, quite a departure from her recent work in the MCU with “Eternals.” But Searchlight Television is a good spot for Zhao to spread her TV wings.

Multiple Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is making her foray into television with a first-look deal at Searchlight Television for exclusive series development. This marks a reunion for Zhao and Searchlight, the studio behind her Oscar-winning film Nomadland. The pact comes on the heels of Searchlight Television’s first production, The Dropout, winning an Emmy Award for Best Actress for Amanda Seyfried, and earning an additional 5 nominations.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter A+E Studios has signed a first-look deal with Foster Driver and Zoë Kent’s Driver+Kent Media. Under the deal, Driver+Kent will develop and produce projects for A+E Studios across all platforms for sale globally and domestically. “Foster and Zoë come to the table with an eye for stories that are relevant, speak to a global audience and showcase the complexities of the world we live in,” said Tana Nugent Jamieson, executive vice president of creative affairs for A+E Studios. “Their eclectic film and television backgrounds combined with their passion for vibrant and inclusive storytelling make them ideal partners for us at A+E Studios. We’re excited to be in business with Driver+Kent Media and look forward to what’s ahead.”

BreAnna Bell Kevin Bray has inked a first-look deal with FX productions, the production company announced on Thursday. As part of the agreement, Bray will be developing new content for FX. The deal further expands Bray’s relationship with FX. Bray directed the first three episodes of FX’s “The Patient” as well as several episodes of “The Americans” and “Snowfall.” In partnership with Color Force, Bray will also executive produce and direct on “The Sterling Affairs,” FX’s limited series about the downfall of Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling starring Laurence Fishburne, Ed O’Neill and Jacki Weaver. “We’ve been fortunate to work with Kevin on some of FX’s most acclaimed series and he’s a gifted artist with the skills to create series of his own,” said Nick Grad, FX’s president of original programming. “Kevin’s a wildly accomplished director and producer whose latest work on The Patient is among his best and will be on display in The Sterling Affairs and the projects he develops in the future for FX.”