Chris Jericho Signs Three-Year AEW Contract Extension (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Carol Mendelsohn and Julie Weitz’s Carol Mendelsohn Productions (CMP) has signed a multi-year first-look broadcast direct deal with Fox Entertainment. The announcement was made by Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment’s president of entertainment, during MIPCOM Cannes. Under the deal, CMP will develop scripted drams for Fox. Should any shows be greenlit, they would be wholly owned by Fox with Mendelsohn and Weitz executive producing. CMP has already set up one project for development under the deal — a series adaptation of the Thomas Perry novel “The Bomb Maker.” Per the official logline, the series “follows former commander Dick Stahl, who is called in after the majority of the LAPD Bomb Squad is killed by a house bomb. On his first day back, the now three-person team is dispatched to a suspected car bomb, and it quickly becomes clear to him that they are dealing with an unusual criminal mastermind―one whose intended target appears to be the Bomb Squad itself.”

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.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Bel-Air” is getting a new showrunner — again. The Peacock drama series is undergoing a change at the top behind the scenes for the third time as it prepares its second season at the NBCUniversal streamer. Carla Banks Waddles, who previously served as a writer and co-executive producer on Season 1, will now take over as showrunner and executive producer. She takes over from TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson, who have departed the series over creative differences, an individual with knowledge of the situation says. They will still be credited as executive producers going forward.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney+ has added three new actors to its cast, Variety has learned exclusively. Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, and Jessica Parker Kennedy are the latest additions to the cast of the series based on Rick Riordan Percy Jackson novels. The trio join previously announced series lead Walker Scobell and series regulars Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries. Copeland will appear in a recurring guest star role as Ares, the god of War. Ares is described as “handsome in a wicked way and arrogant, despite not always being the sharpest tool in the shed. He loves conflict and acts as an agent of chaos wherever he goes.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Fargo” Season 5 is rounding out its main cast with five new additions. David Rysdahl (“Oppenheimer,” “Nine Days,” “Dead Pigs”), Sam Spruell (“The North Water,” “Small Axe,” “Outlaw King”), Jessica Pohly (“SMILF,” “Goliath”), and Nick Gomez (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” “The Walking Dead”) have all joined the fifth season of the FX anthology series. They join previously announced cast members Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, and Richa Moorjani. The official description of the fifth season of the show states, “Set in 2019, when is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn’t yours?”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Fifth Season, formerly known as Endeavor Content, has elevated three executives to president across its TV divisions. Prentiss Fraser has been promoted to president of TV distribution, while Joe Hipps has been named president of TV development and production. Todd Sharp will now be president of production and current. “Joe, Prentiss and Todd lead the TV Studio with such care and passion for stories and storytelling,” said said Graham Taylor and Chris Rice, co-CEOs of Fifth Season. “It’s a blast to build Fifth Season with friends that are incredible human beings as well as the best execs in their field.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Warner Bros. Television has promoted Parul Agrawal to the role of senior vice president and head of drama development, Variety has confirmed. Agrawal previously served as vice president of drama development. She tales over the role from Leigh London Redman, who exited the studio in July to join Berlanti Productions. Agrawal will report to Clancy Collins White, executive vice president and head of development. Agrawal originally joined WBTV in 2010, rising to vice president of drama development in 2019. During her tenure with the studio, she has helped develop shows like “Lovecraft Country” at HBO, “All American” and “All American: Homecoming” at The CW as well as “Batwoman,” “Black Lightning,” “Kung Fu” “Supergirl,” and the upcoming “Gotham Knights” at the broadcaster. Others include “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “Maid” at Netflix as well as “Castle Rock” at Hulu and many more.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Village Roadshow Television has acquired the rights to Lana Harper’s novel “Payback’s a Witch” with the intention of developing it onto a TV series, Variety has learned exclusively. The book is the first installment in Harper’s “Witches of Thistle Grove” novel series, with the planned show set to take that name as well. Per the official logline, “Witches of Thistle Grove” is “a show about Emmy Harlow, a young woman with big dreams who abandoned her charming but podunk hometown to prove herself in the big city. When she’s suddenly called home nine years later to fulfill a family obligation — which, okay, happens to be arbitrating a centuries-old gauntlet — she’s forced to confront family rifts, broken friendships, and Gareth Blackmoore — a detestable but Hot AF ex who broke her heart and, it turns out, also screwed her friends: Her childhood bestie Linden Thorn, and the sexy, dangerous Talia Avramov, a bad-ass that Emmy always crushed on from afar. Reframing old friendships, reconciling with family, and enacting revenge are things Emmy used to hide from. But if she can face her fears, she can take her power back. And that’s critical. Because Emmy Harlow is a witch.”

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 Boxing great Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is teaming with Cartuna and Campanario Entertainment to develop an adult animated series inspired by his life and career, Variety has learned exclusively. “I’m excited to see my story and my career brought to TV through this incredible medium,” Álvarez said. “It will give my loyal fans a new way to follow my journey to the top of boxing and can also bring new followers to this beautiful sport.” Erick Galindo (“The Ballad of Chalino Sanchez,” “Out of The Shadows: Children of 86”) will write and executive produce the series. James and Adam Belfer, the co-heads of Cartuna, will executive produce along with along with Mike Flavin, senior vice president of development at Cartuna. Jaime Dávila and Rico Martínez will executive produce for Campanario Entertainment. The project is currently in development and is expected to be taken out to networks and streamers later this year.

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 Peacock is developing a series inspired by the 1996 film “Fear,” Variety has learned exclusively. Jessica Goldberg is set to write and executive produce the adaptation. Brian Grazer, who produced the film, is executive producing along with Ron Howard, Lilly Burns and Kristen Zolner, all via Imagine Television, which is also listed as an executive producer. Imagine Entertainment produced the original film. Universal Television is the studio behind the series, with Universal Pictures having distributed the film. Goldberg is currently under an overall deal at UTV. The official series logline states, “This modern series reinvention finds two young lovers in a psychological game of cat and mouse—but who’s the cat, and who’s the mouse? When David and Nicole first meet in Seattle, it feels like an epic, once-in-a-lifetime romance – but soon it becomes clear that the seemingly perfect couple is anything but. Told from conflicting points of view, the series wrestles with personal demons, hidden agendas and reframes the “he said she said” convention into a twist-filled suspense story about toxic relationships.”

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.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Goosebumps” live-action series at Disney+ has added three more cast members. Variety has learned exclusively that Ana Yi Puig, Miles McKenna, and Will Price have joined the show as series regulars alongside previously announced cast member 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 The “Goosebumps” series in the works at Disney+ has added Justin Long to its cast as a series regular, Variety learned exclusively. The show is based on the R.L. Stine book series of the same name. Variety exclusively reported the show had been ordered at Disney+ back in February. 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 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 “The Legend of Vox Machina” has been renewed for Season 3 at Amazon. The announcement was made as part of the show’s New York Comic Con panel. The show was renewed for a second season ahead of the series premiere, with Season 2 set to debut in January. Amazon also released a first look at Season 2, which can be seen below. Per the official description of the new season, “After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again—this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave.” “The Legend of Vox Machina” is based on the characters and adventures featured in Critical Role, a web series in which a group of voice actors get together to play “Dungeons & Dragons.” The first season of “The Legend of Vox Machina” followed the Briarwood arc from Critical Role’s first campaign.