‘The Penguin’: ‘The Batman’ Spinoff Series Adds Theo Rossi, Michael Zegen & More

A year and a half after Michael K. Williams’ death, the man who sold The Wire star the drugs that killed him has plead guilty.

What if genial TV painter Bob Ross was actually a serial philanderer with an obsessive need to be accepted by the art community? This seems, on paper, like an interesting concept for a film. Considering that Ross has enjoyed a revitalization during the pandemic, perhaps now is the time to interrogate his life and legacy.

When it was announced that HBO was looking to expand the “Game of Thrones” franchise past the original series, people were skeptical. However, after the false start of “The Long Night” pilot that was scrapped, the network hit it big (bigger than people were probably expecting) with “House of the Dragon.” Now, fans (and investors) are anxious to find out what HBO has up its sleeve for the next spinoff.

EXCLUSIVE: The roster of talent set for Prime Video‘s Paul Feig-helmed action comedy Grand Death Lotto has continued to expand with the addition of Michael Hitchcock (Your Place or Mine), Becky Ann Baker (Girls), Sam Asghari (Lioness), Leslie David Baker (The Office), Murray Hill (Life & Beth), Adam Ray (Young Rock), Taylor Ortega (Welcome to Flatch) and Holmes (Welcome to Flatch).

Jinkx Monsoon, winner of the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the seventh season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” has been added to the cast of the BBC’s long-running and immensely popular “Doctor Who” series. Monsoon is set to be playing a major role in the series. “In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all. Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and ‘Doctor Who’ will never be the same again,” showrunner Russell T Davies said. “I’m honored, thrilled, and utterly excited to join ‘Doctor Who!’ Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer — I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage,” Monsoon said.

Chad Michael Murray is taking a trip down memory lane!

The first look at XO, Kitty is here!

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent LILLE, France — Headed by a commanding performance from Navid Mohammadzadeh, superbly shot and packing arguably the best opening scene of any series in Series Mania main competition, Navid Javidi’s “The Actor” won the Grand Prize at Series Mania on Friday night. The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score. Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes, it becomes a prison.

HBO is developing the new comedy series Disengagement from writer and executive producer Robin Thede (A Black Lady Sketch Show).

TV’s favorite soccer team is back — and fiercer than ever! The cast of Yellowjackets slayed at the season 2 premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 22. 

Anna Cathart’s Kitty Song Covey is ready to head to Korea in the first trailer for Netflix and Awesomeness Studios’ “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” spinoff series, “XO Kitty.”“Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love,” the show’s official logline states. “But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, she’ll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it’s your own heart on the line.”The 10-episode series, which will premiere globally May 18 on Netflix, is executive produced by creator and co-showrunner Jenny Han, co-showrunner Sascha Rothschild and ACE Entertainment’s Matt Kaplan.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent As it continues ramping up its premium docu slate, Mediawan has boarded “Sobibor – Escape from History,” a four-part documentary which is being developed by leading Dutch banner Submarine (“Last Hijack”). In the documentary series, the infamous death camp will be portrayed through the eyes of the rebels and survivors. It will tell the epic true story of a group of Jewish prisoners who managed to escape from inside the living hell of a Nazi concentration camp and attempt to rebuild their lives. Some seeked retribution, others redemption. Their children struggle to this day in different ways with the trauma of their parents. The series also follows two surviving relatives, a daughter and a niece who return to Poland, to their ancestral villages where their relatives were banished.

Five new actors have just joined Taylor Sheridan‘s 1883: The Bass Reeves Story!

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Penguin” series at HBO Max has added Michael Zegen, James Madio, and Scott Cohen to its cast in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively. The three join a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown. HBO Max is not releasing character details for three new additions, but sources say that Zegen is set to play Alberto Falcone. Alberto is the son of Gotham City crime boss Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in “The Batman,” and the brother of Sofia Falcone, who will be played by Milioti in “The Penguin.” In the comics, Alberto takes credit for being the serial killer known as The Holiday Killer, who targets Gotham gangsters on a holiday each month.

described how Murray stepped in to protect her after the assault on location shooting the show’s fourth season in Honey Grove, Texas in 2007.The actress said that she and Schwahn — who she refers to as “the boss” rather than by name on the podcast — had to travel together to a Texas high school to inform them they’d be filming at their school.“The flight back from that is when he assaulted me. He assaulted me again in the car on the drive from Raleigh to Wilmington, He went straight to set and he told Danneel [Ackles] that he and I made out the whole time, and it was fun, and he was trying to make her jealous.

Hilarie Burton has recounted how her One Tree Hill costar Chad Michael Murray defended her against the show’s creator and showrunner Mark Schwahn during an alleged assault.

Hilarie Burton is opening up about allegedly being assaulted by One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn and how her co-star Chad Michael Murray stepped in after he saw it happen.

Emily Longeretta Hilarie Burton is detailing her traumatizing experience on “One Tree Hill.” During the latest episode of the “Drama Queens” podcast, Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush recap “It Gets Worse at Night,” the Season 4 episode in which the Tree Hill gang goes to Honey Grove to rescue Mouth (Lee Norris) from jail. Burton, who was one of 18 women of the show who accused creator Mark Schwahn of sexual harrassment, detailed the trauma she endured while filming this episode of the show. She and Schwahn, who she never refers to by name, only by the “boss,” had to travel to Honey Grove, Texas, before filming started to surprise the local high school with news that they’d won a contest to have the CW drama film there.

Sticking up for her. Hilarie Burton Morgan recalled how former costar Chad Michael Murray attempted to defend her amid an alleged assault during One Tree Hill season 4.

When it was announced that Netflix was going to foot the $130 million bill for the new Nancy Meyers rom-com with an A-list cast, there were many (myself included) who thought it was a bit crazy. That’s a superhero film budget, not necessarily the type of money you throw at an adult-focused romantic comedy.