‘Finding Forrester’ TV Series in Development at NBC

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMarvel Cinematic Universe stars Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle will both appear in upcoming Marvel TV shows on Disney Plus.Ruffalo will appear in “She-Hulk” opposite Tatiana Maslany, reprising the role of Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Swiss Family Robinson” series is in development at Disney Plus.The series hails from Ronald D. Moore and Jon M.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA series set in the “Alien” universe from Noah Hawley is officially set up at FX, Variety has learned.The announcement was made Thursday by FX chief John Landgraf as part of the Disney Investor Day presentation. Hawley will write and executive produce the series under his 26 Keys banner, with “Alien” mastermind Ridley Scott in advanced talks to executive produce via Scott Free.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShowtime has ordered the comedy series “The Curse,” which hails from Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. Both will also star in the series alongside Emma Stone.The half-hour series is said to explore how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.Fielder will direct and executive produce in addition to starring and co-creating the series.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulia Roberts has signed on to star in a series adaptation of the upcoming Laura Dave novel “The Last Thing He Told Me” at Apple.Roberts will executive produce in addition to starring, with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter of Hello Sunshine also executive producing. Hello Sunshine optioned the book from Dave, who will adapt the book for television and executive produce along with her husband, Josh Singer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCraig Macneill has signed on to direct and executive produce the pilot for the upcoming “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.Macneill made his feature directorial debut in 2015 with “The Boy,” which was loosely based on the novel “Miss Corpus” by Clay McLeod Chapman and premiered at the SXSW Film Festival that same year. Macneill also served as co-writer on the film in addition to directing.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has given a series order to “Extrapolations,” an anthology series about climate change from Scott Z. Burns, Variety has learned exclusively.Burns will write, direct, and executive produce the series, which hails from Media Res.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Apple dramedy series “Physical” is rounding out its cast.In addition to previously announced series lead Rose Byrne, the cast of the show will also include Paul Sparks, Rory Scovel, Loy Taylor Pucci, Della Saba, Dierdre Friel, Ashley Liao.“Physical” follows Sheila (Byrne), a woman struggling in her life as a quietly tortured housewife in a 1980s Southern California beach community.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “True Blood” reboot is in the early development stages at HBO, Variety has confirmed with sources.Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Jami O’Brien are attached to write the script and executive produce, with original series creator and showrunner Alan Ball also attached to executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has ordered the single-camera comedy “Home Economics” to series.The series will air on the broadcast network in Spring 2021. The show was originally developed as part of the 2020 pilot season.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIn a competitive situation, the George Lopez drama series “Once Upon a Time in Aztlan” has been set up at Amazon for development, Variety has learned exclusively.Lopez will star in and executive produce the one-hour series under his Travieso Productions banner.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDC Comics character Naomi could soon be coming to The CW thanks to Ava DuVernay and former “Arrow” writer and executive producer Jill Blankenship.DuVernay and Blankenship are attached to write and executive produce “Naomi.” The potential series follows a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming Amazon series “Outer Range” has rounded out its main cast.Lewis Pullman, Noah Reid, Shaun Sipos, and Isabel Arraiza have all been cast in the series, Variety has learned.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIssa Rae and Adam McKay are teaming up to adapt the Serial Productions podcast “Nice White Parents” into a half-hour series at HBO, Variety has learned.The project has received a pilot commitment at the premium cabler.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock is developing a drama series about the FBI’s notorious COINTELPRO program, Variety has learned exclusively.Set in 1965, the series centers on Amos Harvey, a conservative black cop and veteran of the Korean War, who is forcibly recruited into the FBI’s secret task-force, COINTELPRO. His job is to infiltrate the Civil Rights movement to destroy the organizations from the inside.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterArmie Hammer has signed on to star in “The Offer” at Paramount Plus, which will tell the behind-the-scenes story of the making of “The Godfather.”Hammer will star as Al Ruddy, who produced “The Godfather” back in 1972.More to come…

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a comedy series called “God’s Favorite Idiot” from Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, Variety has learned.The streamer has commissioned 16 episodes of the series, in which both McCarthy and Falcone will star. Falcone wrote the series, with both he and McCarthy also serving as executive producers via their company On the Day.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Blindspotting” series at Starz has cast several key roles as production kicks off in Los Angeles and Oakland, Variety has learned exclusively.Along with previously announced series lead Jasmine Cephas Jones, the eight-episode, half-hour dramedy will also star Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward, Jaylen Barron, and Candace Nicholas-Lippman.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEugenio Derbez is set to star in a new comedy series titled “Acapulco” that has been ordered to series at Apple, Variety has learned.The half-hour series, which will be shot in both Spanish and English, is inspired by the film “How to Be a Latin Lover,” in which Derbez starred and produced.In “Acapulco,” a young Mexican man’s dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at the hottest resort in Acapulco.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFacebook Watch is set to launch the first-ever interactive AI reality series, titled “Rival Peak,” on Dec. 2.Hailing from dj2 Entertainment, Pipeworks Studios, and Genvid Technologies, the series places twelve AI contestants in the Pacific Northwest where they must survive elimination and solve the mystery that brought them together.