Marlon Wayans Moves Semi-Autobiographical Comedy ‘Book of Marlon’ From HBO Max to Starz

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Netflix has ordered a limited series adaptation of the Elin Hilderbrand novel “The Perfect Couple.” Jenna Lamia (“Good Girls,” “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”) will adapt the book for the screen and serve as executive producer and showrunner. 21 Laps will produce via the company’s overall deal with Netflix, with The Jackal Group also onboard to produce. Netflix has given the series a six-episode order. In the show, which is described as a soapy mystery, it’s Fourth of July weekend and Celeste Otis is about to marry the perfect man, who just so happens to be from the wealthiest family on Nantucket. But when a body is discovered floating in the harbor on the morning of what was to be the wedding of the year, suddenly everyone at the party is a suspect.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Scott Foley has joined the cast of the upcoming HBO Max series “The Girls on the Bus,” Variety has learned. Foley joins previously announced cast members Melissa Benoist, Christina Elmore, and Natasha Behnam in the show, which was ordered straight-to-series at HBO Max in February after having been set up at both Netflix and The CW. “The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Amy Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” It is described as a comedic character-driven drama that chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love, and scandal along the way.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Curb Your Enthusiasm” has been renewed for Season 12 at HBO. Season 11 of the critically-acclaimed comedy series began airing on HBO in October 2021. That season picked up four Emmy nominations, including best comedy series and best guest actor in a comedy series for Bill Hader. The show has received 51 Emmy nominations in total to date. “Playing the role of Larry David has been the greatest honor of my life,” Larry David said. “In researching this multi-faceted, multi-talented man, I discovered that there’s more to him than I ever could have imagined: He speaks six languages, brines his own pickles, and spearheads a national movement to install a bidet in every home. I’ve also been told from numerous sources that he is the most generous of lovers. I am so excited to once again transform into this force of nature. I only pray that I can do him justice.”

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has opted not to pick up the drama pilot “Criminal Nature” to series.This is now the second time the project has been passed over at the broadcast network. A different iteration of the pilot with a different creative team — which included Kevin Costner as co-writer — was in the works at ABC in 2021 before being axed in July.The new version, which had been titled “Criminal Nature,” was part of ABC’s 2022 pilot season slate.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA documentary about the rehab center turned cult Synanon is in production at HBO Documentary Films, Variety has learned exclusively.Spanning more than three decades until the early 1990s, Synanon originated as a Santa Monica-based storefront rehab and was celebrated both as a breakthrough treatment center and a culturally forward attempt at communal living. Led by the charismatic Chuck Dederich and his wife Betty, Synanon was a darling of the recovery community as well as the political and celebrity elite.

EXCLUSIVE: Starz’s #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive has revealed the 10 participants selected from 500 applicants for phase one kicking off on August 22nd.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “John Wick” prequel series “The Continental” will now air on Peacock rather than Starz.The series is expected to debut on the streaming service in 2023, with Peacock currently having all three of the “John Wick” films released to date. The series hails from Lionsgate, which also produces the film franchise.

The dreaded post-merger Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs have reached the programming operation overseen by HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys.

Selome Hailu “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” has been renewed for its third season at Starz. Announced at the Television Critics Association 2022 summer press tour, the news comes ahead of the Aug. 14 debut of Season 2.“Raising Kanan,” the third series in the “Power” universe, it set in the early ‘90s and tells the origin story of Kanan Stark (MeKai Curtis) and his entry into the criminal world through his mother, Raquel (Patina Miller) who ruthlessly runs the family’s drug empire.

Starz has renewed Power Book III: Raising Kanan for a third season ahead of the show’s sophomore return on August 14. Production on Season 3 will begin this summer in New York.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterLil Rel Howery has lined up his second HBO stand up comedy special, Variety has learned exclusively.This will be Howery’s second HBO stand up special after 2019’s “Lil Rel Howery: Live in Crenshaw.” The new special will tape in Howery’s hometown of Chicago in the coming weeks. It will then be available on both HBO and HBO Max.“Getting the opportunity to do another comedy special with HBO is a dream come true, but even more so this time around because I’m excited for the world to see what happens when I go back to my roots,” Howery said.

With four successful shows under its belt, Starz could be expanding the universe even further overseas.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGreg Berlanti’s DC series “Strange Adventures” is not moving forward at HBO Max, Variety has confirmed.The planned anthology series was first announced as being in development at the streamer in 2019. Kevin Smith discussed the fate of the series on his “Hollywood Babble-On” podcast, saying he was working on an episode with “Supergirl” writer Eric Carrasco.“I got a call the other day from Eric before all of this story broke and he was just like ‘Strange Adventures is officially dead,’ and I was like ‘What the f–k, are you serious?!'” Smith said.“I thought ‘Strange Adventures’ being a causality kind of made sense to me,” he continued.

Marlon Wayans is getting the comedy treatment at Starz.The network is developing “Book of Marlon,” inspired by the actor and comedian’s life, it was announced on Tuesday. Wayans will play a fictionalized version of himself in the series.Wayans will star, co-write and executive produce the series. Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin are the showrunners as part of their overall deal with Warner Bros.

Marlon Wayans’ new comedy inspired by his life and career is on the move. Starz has taken in for development Book of Marlon, with Wayans set to star, co-write and executive produce. The project, which was previously in development at HBO Max, hails from Sherman’s Showcase and South Side creators Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin, Wayans’ longtime producing partner Rick Alvarez (Marlon), Michael Rotenberg and Warner Bros. TV.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHBO has ordered a comedy pilot about the making of a superhero movie, Variety has learned.The half-hour pilot is titled “The Franchise.” It follows a hopeful crew trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero movie-making. If and when they finally make the day, the question they must face — is this Hollywood’s new dawn or cinema’s last stand? Is this a dream factory or a chemical plant?The pilot story was written by Jon Brown, Keith Akushie and Armando Iannucci, with Brown and Akushie writing the pilot.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe “Sexy Beast” prequel series at Paramount+ has found its cast, Variety has learned.The original U.K. drama will star James McArdle (“Mare of Easttown,” “Angels in America) as Gal Dove and Emun Elliot (“The Rig,” “The Gold) as Don Logan, the roles played by Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley respectively in the original 2000 film.The show follows Gal and Don as best friends and small-time thieves living the good life in ‘90s East London.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered the comedy series “The Other Black Girl.”The series is based on the Zakiya Dalila Harris novel of the same name. In the show, Nella, an editorial assistant, is tired of being the only black girl at her company, so she’s excited when Hazel is hired. But as Hazel’s star begins to rise, Nella spirals out and discovers something sinister is going on at the company.Danielle Henderson will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the show.

#Outlander universe is expanding! Outlander: Blood of My Blood, a prequel that will follow the love story of Jamie Fraser’s parents, is officially in development at STARZ,” the network shared in a tweet on the official “Outlander” Twitter account.Jamie Fraser’s parents are Brian Fraser and Ellen Mackenzie. Neither character is alive in “Outlander,” though Brian was seen in flashbacks.

fans, rejoice! Starz confirmed on Thursday that their beloved historical romance is expanding its TV universe, with a prequel series officially in the works.The prequel series, titled, will detail the love story of Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, the parents of Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan in the flagship series. showrunner and executive producer Matthew B.