Netflix Hires Former HBO Max Exec Billy Wee & Promotes Jermaine Turner To Replace Adult Animation Chief Mike Moon; Maggie Malone Joins On Film Side

BETTER NATE THAN EVER – Bernard Telsey, Bethany Knox, Pat GoodwinDEEP WATER – Ellen Chenoweth, Tracy Kilpatrick (Location Casting), Susanne Scheel (Associate Casting Director)THE ADAM PROJECT – Carmen Cuba, Tiffany Mak (Location Casting), Judith Sunga (Associate Casting Director)THE HARDER THEY FALL – Victoria Thomas, Jo Edna Boldin (Location Casting)TURNING RED – Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon, Kate Hansen-Birnbaum (Associate Casting Director)TELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – COMEDYABBOTT ELEMENTARY – Wendy O’BrienGHOSTS – Elizabeth Barnes, Tannis Vallely, Andrea Kenyon (Location Casting), Randi Wells (Location Casting)JULIA – Sharon Bialy, Gohar Gazazyan, Lisa Lobel (Location Casting), Angela Peri (Location Casting), Stacia Kimler (Associate Casting Director), Melissa Morris (Associate Casting Director)ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING – Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Destiny Lilly (Associate Casting Director)RESERVATION DOGS – Angelique Midthunder, Jennifer Schwalenberg, Chris Freihofer (Location Casting), Stacey Rice (Associate Casting Director), Lisa Zambetti (Associate Casting Director)THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS – Elizabeth Barnes, Jennifer EustonTELEVISION PILOT AND FIRST SEASON – DRAMAKEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF – Felicia Fasano, Rikki Gimelstob, Angela Peri (Location Casting), Lisa Lobel (Location Casting), Katie Lantz (Associate Casting Director)PACHINKO – Mary Vernieu, Michelle Wade Byrd, Ko Iwagami (Location Casting), Corinne Clark (Location Casting), Jennifer Page (Location Casting)THE GILDED AGE – Bernard Telsey, Adam Caldwell, Kristian Charbonier (Associate Casting Director)WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY – Francine Maisler, Kathy Driscoll-Mohler, Melissa Kostenbauder, Molly Rose (Associate

called the show a “barrel load of nonsense” and railed that its depictions of his time in office were “damaging and malicious fiction.”The former prime minister’s comments came after the show was accused of fabricating a smear against King Charles, showing him lobbying Major for a secret plot to oust the Queen.Major’s office told The Mail on Sunday that the meeting never took place.“Sir John has not co-operated in any way with The Crown. Nor has he ever been approached by them to fact-check any script material in this or any other series,” read a statement from his office.“As you will know, discussions between the monarch and prime minister are entirely private and – for Sir John – will always remain so.

Selome Hailu Indira Varma has been cast as Empress Natalya in “Dune: The Sisterhood” (working title), HBO Max’s upcoming “Dune” prequel series co-produced with Legendary Television. Empress Natalya is described as a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino. Varma is best known for playing Ellaria Sand in four seasons of “Game of Thrones” and recently starred as Tala Durith in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Other prominent credits include “Luther” on BBC and “Paranoid” on ITV and Netflix. Up next, Varma will appear in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Extrapolations” on Apple TV+. She is reppedmby Gersh, Principal Entertainment LA and James Adams.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions has named industry veteran Brenda Robinson as its first head of film finance and inclusion strategies. Robinson, an entertainment attorney, financier and producer, will be responsible for bringing new partners to HiddenLight’s slate of productions across film and television. Robinson’s appointment represents a number of developments in HiddenLight’s strategy, including the use of grant and equity funding to develop and produce projects that the company takes to market later in the production cycle. It also signals a desire to tell a wider spectrum of stories from a diversity of voices.

Nick Cave has named the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde his favourite film of all time.The musician, who composed the score for the Netflix film with Warren Ellis, was asked to name his favourite film ever by a fan on his newsletter The Red Hand Files.In response to the question, Cave simply wrote: “Blonde. Love, Nick.”Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas, Blonde is based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates and is described as a “reimagining” of Monroe’s life.A synopsis reads: “Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Beach (Dahmer: Monster), Joshua Colley (Senior Year) and Lindsey Gort (All Rise) have joined the cast of Dead Boy Detectives, HBO Max’s upcoming drama series based on the DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman, in key recurring roles. The series hails from The Flight Attendant’s Steve Yockey, Doom Patrol’s Jeremy Carver, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. Beach, Colley and Gort join series stars George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri and Kassius Nelson.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Marc Velez has joined UCP as senior vice president and head of development, Variety has learned. In addition, Naketha Mattocks has joined Universal Television (UTV) as senior vice president of drama development. In his new role, Velez will report to Jennifer Gwartz, executive vice president of UCP. He joins the studio from Lee Daniels Entertainment, of which he was the president. He takes over development at UCP from Garrett Kemble, who left earlier this year for a role at Anonymous Content’s AC Studios. “Marc is a rare executive who is entrepreneurial, creative, and a partner to our talent and buyers,” said Beatrice Springborn, president of UCP and Universal International Studios. “We are fortunate to have him lead our creative team, who represent the best of the best as we continue to evolve and grow our slate.”

Netflix Among Buyers Of Doc On Dutch Soccer Manager Louis Van Gaal

Netflix has shared the first look at its upcoming K-drama, The Fabulous, starring SHINee’s Minho.The much-anticipated first glimpse at the new series was shared by Netflix on October 5, and features snippets pulled from The Fabulous encompassing the fast-paced, glamorous world of South Korea’s illustrious fashion scene. Freelance photo editor Ji Woo-min (played by SHINee’s Minho) is at the heart of its schemes, crossing paths and eventually developing a romance with PR manager Pyo Ji-eun (Rookie Cops’ Chae Soo-bin).It also features cameo appearances from several top South Korean models, most notably including Choi So-ra, best known as the winner of the third cycle of Korea’s Next Top Model. Slated to make its global premiere on the streaming platform on November 4, The Fabulous, set against the backdrop of Seoul’s fashion industry and will depict the stories of young men and women as they navigate their work, personal lives, friendships and romances, along with their struggles to stay afloat in a fast-changing and competitive fashion landscape.Other cast members previously announced to be joining Minho and Chae on The Fabulous include Kim Min-kyu, a past Produce X 101 contestant, as well as Byun Jun-seo (Woori The Virgin), Lee Mi-do (Kiss Sixth Sense, House Of Lies), Kwon Hae-sung (Cafe Minamdang, The Devil Judge) and rookie actress Ye Seon-ho, among others.The first official details of the upcoming romance series first surfaced as early as September 2021.

HBO Max has given an eight-episode straight-to-series order to How To Be a Bookie, the first comedy for the streamer from one of Warner Bros. Television’s top showrunners, Chuck Lorre, co-creator/exec producer of HBO Max’s most watched off-network series, The Big Bang Theory. Actor-comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (The Irishman) is set to star in the single-camera series, which Lorre is co-writing with one of his close associates over the past decade, Nick Bakay. It is comedy king Lorre’s first sale since the start of the pandemic.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order to a new comedy series from Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay with Sebastian Maniscalco set for the lead role, Variety has learned. The single-camera show is titled “How to Be a Bookie.” HBO Max has given it an eight-episode order. Per the official logline, “A veteran bookie (Maniscalco) struggles to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, family, co-workers, and a lifestyle that bounces him around every corner of Los Angeles, high and low.” Lorre and Bakay serve as co-writers and executive producers on the show. Maniscalco will executive produce in addition to starring, with Judi Marmel also executive producing. Warner Bros. Television is the studio. Chuck Lorre productions is currently under an overall deal at WBTV. The show marks Lorre’s first series at HBO Max.

Joshua Alston From the beginning, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi has approached his career as an artist who would sooner toil in obscurity than be renowned for just one thing. Just two years after dropping “A Kid Named Cudi,” the mixtape that launched him into the spotlight, he was cast in “How to Make It in America,” a short-lived HBO-originals deep cut. In the decade since that show ended in 2011, he’s earned a reputation for bouncing willy-nilly between genres, mediums, and disciplines, and the choices that once seemed fickle now seem confidently eclectic.  Never has Mescudi looked more like a polymath than with the debut of “Entergalactic,” an animated Netflix special timed to the release of his new studio album (also dropping on Sept. 30), which bears the same title. “Entergalactic” was initially announced in 2019 as a series to be created by Mescudi and Kenya Barris, but has since been whittled down to a 90-minute special (which Netflix is calling an “event”). In its final form, the special feels like it’s being torn in several artistic directions at once, not unlike Mescudi himself. The length and formal relationship with the album suggest a Beyoncé-style visual companion piece, heavy on style and symbolism but without a narrative throughline. (Halsey’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” is a solid non-Bey example.)

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here. Our crack team of reporters and editors brought you the news from Zurich to Singapore to London this week, and I’m here to help you digest. Read away.

Noah Centineo is bloodied up in our first look at his new Netflix spy series The Recruit.

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.”

Brent Lang Executive Editor Riot Games has hired veteran executive Mandy Beckner as its global head of live action development, film and TV. She joins the developer and publisher after a stint as director of content for the original indie film group at Netflix. In her new role, Beckner will be in charge of developing live-action film and TV content for all of Riot’s “League of Legends”-related IP. Beckner will report to Brian Wright, Riot Games’ chief content officer. “Mandy is a dynamic executive with a successful track record that speaks to the kind of entertaining and engaging IP that Riot is known for,” Wright said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the Riot family.”

Action is calling and Noah Centineo looks ready.

“Dahmer” Netflix series just launched to some impressive premiere numbers, and considering how many people checked out the true crime limited series in its first week, its ’80s and ’90s-infused soundtrack is no doubt of interest.Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he committed a series of brutal murders, often dismembering his victims and keeping body parts as souvenirs.