Warner Bros. TV to Develop Coco Mellors’ ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ as Series, Maggie Kiley to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jean Smart took home the Emmy for best actress in a comedy series for her performance in “Hacks.” Smart won in a stacked category over fellow nominees Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Elle Fanning (“The Great”) and Issa Rae (“Insecure”). Smart won for “Hacks” Season 2, which aired on HBO Max beginning in May 2022. The show was renewed for a third season in June shortly after the second season debuted. This is Smart’s second consecutive win in the category after her victory for “Hacks” Season 1 last year. She has been nominated for 12 Emmy Awards throughout her career with five wins, counting this and last year’s win. She previously won twice for best guest actress in a comedy for “Frasier” and for best supporting actress in a comedy for “Samantha Who?”

The surprising decision last month to shelve completed DC movie Batgirl was “blown out of proportion” by the press, according to Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Zazie Beetz is set to star in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming HBO Max limited series “Full Circle,” Variety has learned. Variety exclusively reported the show had been ordered at HBO Max back in August 2021. Soderbergh will direct all six episodes and executive produce, with Ed Solomon writing and executive producing. Casey Silver will also executive produce. The three previously worked together on the HBO Max film “No Sudden Move.” 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.” Exact details on Beetz’ character are being kept under wraps.

Eddie Redmayne To Be Honored With Zurich’s Golden Eye

Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Leavy has inked a new three-year contract as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer with the David Zaslev-led media conglomerate, Deadline has confirmed.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WME has promoted both Andrea Blatt and Florence Dodd to agent within the books department, Variety has learned exclusively. In 2021 alone, WME books debuted on the New York Times bestseller list 85 times, with 18 hitting the number one spot. The department is led by Jay Mandel.Blatt is based in WME’s New York office.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming “Spiderwick Chronicles” TV series at Disney+ has cast Joy Bryant, Variety has learned exclusively. Bryant joins previously announced cast members Lyon Daniels and Noah Cottrell as well as Christian Slater. The show is based on the popular book series of the same name by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. In the show, upon leaving New York and moving to Michigan and into their run-down ancestral home—The Spiderwick Estate—with their mother, twin brothers Jared (Daniels) and Simon Grace (Cottrell), along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate, fantastical world.

Emily Longeretta Jesse Lee Soffer is turning in his badge on “Chicago P.D.” The upcoming 10th season will be the last for Soffer, Variety can exclusively announce. The actor has portrayed Det. Jay Halstead since the NBC series’ debut in 2014, appearing in all 187 episodes. He will be departing sometime in the fall. “I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates and our incredible crew,” he said in a statement to Variety on Monday. “To create this hour drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Colin Farrell’s upcoming Apple series “Sugar” has added five new cast members, Variety has learned. James Cromwell (“Succession,” “Babe,” “Six Feet Under”), Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad,” “Deadwood”), Dennis Boutsikaris (“Better Call Saul,” “Mayfair Witches”), Alex Hernandez (“Invasion,” “Bloodshot”), and Lindsay Pulsipher (“The Beast,” “True Blood”) have all joined the series. Cromwell and Gunn will recur, while Boutsikaris, Hernandez, and Pulsipher will be series regulars. Along with Farrell, previously announced cast members include Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Amy Ryan. Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.

statement said. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior.

media reports. Jonathan Young, VP of original programming and production at HBO Max for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Christian Wikander, VP of original programming for the Nordic region; and Annelies Sitvast, who oversees unscripted original programming were all let go as part of the conglomerate’s latest consolidation move.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Discovery is letting go of 29 staff in Europe, including key programming execs, as it moves to phase out HBO Max European originals and shift towards a new local commissioning model, Deadline can reveal.

Warner Bros. also announced that “House Party” and “Evil Dead Rise,” initially greenlit as HBO Max releases, will now be theatrical releases that hits the big screen in December 9, 2022 and April 21, 2023 respectively.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Villains of Valley View” has been renewed for Season 2 at the Disney Channel, Variety has learned exclusively. The multi-cam comedy show, which hails from Disney Branded Television, follows a family of supervillains forced to hide their powers and adopt “normalcy” in suburbia. Season 2 will begin production this fall in Los Angeles. New episodes from Season 1 will resume airing on Oct. 7 “It isn’t hard to see why audiences have fallen in love with the villainous Madden family,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “Despite a penchant for utilizing their superpowers in everyday life, Amy and family ultimately care about and support one another. Even though life can be messy, ridiculous, and sometimes frightening, the Maddens demonstrate the (super)power of family and togetherness.”

David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer of the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery, has high hopes for “House of the Dragon,” and touted the series in an email to staffers Friday.In his message to the team, obtained by TheWrap, Zaslav praised HBO boss Casey Bloys, and the premium cable network’s team that are behind “HOTD,” which premieres this Sunday night on HBO.“[They] have shepherded what looks to be the next big cultural moment,” Zaslav wrote.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmy Ryan is the latest cast member to be announced for the upcoming Apple series “Sugar,” Variety has learned.Ryan joins previously announced series lead Colin Farrell and cast member Kirby Howell-Baptiste in the show, which was first ordered to series in June. Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.Ryan received both an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the film “Gone Baby Gone.” Her other feature credits include “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” and “Capote.” On the TV side, she is known for her celebrated turns in both “The Office” as Holly Flax as well as the HBO series “The Wire,” in which she played Beatrice “Beadie” Russell.

The latest piece of the international Warner Bros. Discovery management puzzle has slotted into place, as the wider reshaping of the business continues. WBD General Manager Warner Bros. Discovery CEE, Baltics and Middle East (CEE MENAT) Jamie Cooke, who took on his post in June, has unveiled his team. Senior roles have gone to the likes of Lee Hobbs and long-serving Warner Bros. sales exec Roni Patel.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Feud” Season 2 at FX has added Tom Hollander, Diane Lane, and Calista Flockhart to its cast, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.The trio join previously announced series stars Naomi Watts and Chloë Sevigny. The second season of the Ryan Murphy anthology series will tell the true story of how Truman Capote was friends with numerous members of New York high society until he published excerpts of his unfinished novel “Answered Prayers,” with the excerpts serving as a tell-all about the city’s elite.It was previously announced that Watts will play famed socialite Barbara “Babe” Paley, while Sevigny will play C.Z.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKirby Howell-Baptiste has signed on to star opposite Colin Farrell in the Apple series “Sugar,” Variety has learned.The project was first ordered to series in June. Exact plot and character details for the show remain under wraps, aside from the fact that it is described as a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story set in Los Angeles.Howell-Baptiste was most recently seen in the Netflix series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” playing the role of Death, one of the seven Endless.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAfter weeks of speculation, Warner Bros. Discovery is ready to reveal some of the changes that will take place at HBO Max, in advance of next year’s anticipated combination of the HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services. And as expected, HBO Max will downsize its reality programming department.