Greg Berlanti Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

“Bridgerton” — Netflix’s hit period production about upper-class courtship in England’s Regency era — is a world populated with sparkling balls, intricate courtship rituals, extravagant attire, and insidious gossip. And, apart from the Julia Quinn novels, there’s a surprising inspiration for it: West Hollywood. 

Anna Lore (All American) has been tapped for a series-regular role in the CW’s pilot Gotham Knights. Lore will play one of the leads, Stephanie Brown, in the DC Comics-based project.

EXCLUSIVE: Over two and a half years after Titans special effects coordinator Warren Appleby was killed while prepping a shoot for the Warner Bros superhero series, a Toronto court has finally handed down some justice.

Supernatural alum Misha Collins has been tapped for the role of Harvey Dent in the CW’s DC universe-set Gotham Knights pilot.

Kristen Stewart and Jessica Chastain are stepping out for the night!

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterNot unlike the many TV series Ryan Murphy has devoted to the untold histories of Hollywood, the “Glee” creator took the stage at Saturday’s Producers Guild Awards to share some of his own with one of the night’s big honorees: Greg Berlanti.Presenting Berlanti with the PGA Norman Lear Achievement Award, Murphy delivered a heartfelt and candid tribute to the prolific Berlanti — one packed with sweet and humble beginnings for men who now populate media power lists and highest-paid rankings.In the late ’90s, Murphy said, he and Berlanti were hungry young screenwriters looking to break into the industry — Murphy a journalist, Berlanti an assistant to a producer). Murphy got his big break first, selling a script to Steven Spielberg for “$30,000 after commissions,” he said.

On Saturday night, Greg Berlanti used his PGA acceptance speech as a platform to widely criticize the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida.

Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher were both Hollywood veterans when they were elected as co-presidents of the Producers Guild of America in June 2018. But while both had overseen big studios, films and television shows, nothing could have prepared them for what they’d encounter in their four years Iin office with the PGA, including the #MeToo revolution, the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.“We didn’t know each other when this shotgun marriage was formed,” Berman said.

Paul Plunkett When this year’s Producers Guild of America Awards are handed out, along with those being recognized for their achievements in projects over the last year will be a handful of the industry’s top names, receiving the guild’s Honorary Awards.These Honorary Awards were not handed out during last year’s virtual ceremony, adding more excitement to this year’s in-person event.The 2022 Visionary Award, which recognizes a television, film or new media producer for unique or uplifting contributions to our culture through inspiring storytelling or performance, will be awarded to Issa Rae. The producer-actor-writer, whose HBO series “Insecure” wrapped up this year after five seasons, also served as executive producer on “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Sweet Life: Los Angeles,” to name a few of her credits.

Sasha Urban editorIn one of the most star-studded lineups of this year’s awards season, Serena Williams, Nick Jonas and Oscar nominees Kristen Stewart and Ciaran Hinds have been tapped as presenters at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards Saturday evening, Variety has learned exclusively.They will be joined at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel by Josh Brolin, Rachel Brosnahan, Daniel Durant, Alana Haim, Jude Hill, Chris Pine, Daniel Dae Kim, Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Ryan Murphy, Simon Rex and Kerry Washington, as well as previously announced presenters Meryl Streep, Casey Bloys, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, Aunjanue Ellis, Jung Ho-yeon, Linda Lavin, David Alvarez, Jessica Chastain, Denis Villeneuve, Troy Kotsur, Andrew Garfield, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Spielberg. The PGA Awards are known to be a strong predictor of which film will take home best picture at the Academy Awards, which will be held on March 27.

Fallon Smythe (grown-ish) and Tyler DiChiara (The Virgin of Highland Park) are set as series regulars in the CW’s DC universe-set Gotham Knights pilot, Deadline has confirmed

Joe Otterson TV ReporterShanola Hampton has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Unfound,” Variety has learned.The one hour drama deals with the fact that, in any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. More than half that number are people of color that the country seems to forget about. Public relations specialist Gabi Mosley (Hampton) — who was once herself one of those forgotten ones — and her crisis management team now make sure there is always someone looking out for the forgotten missing people.

Shameless alumna Shanola Hampton has been tapped as the lead of NBC pilot Found. Hampton also will serve as producer on the one-hour missing-persons drama, written by Nkechi Okoro Carroll, which hails from Berlanti Productions, Carroll’s Rock My Soul Productions and Warner Bros. TV, where Greg Berlanti and Carroll are under overall deals.

EXCLUSIVE: Berlanti Productions, run by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, has promoted Eliza Weiss to Creative Executive.

Melissa Benoist is in talks to star in the upcoming HBO Max drama series The Girls on the Bus.

Coming off six seasons as the lead of Supergirl, Melissa Benoist is poised to reunite with Berlanti Productions on another series. Benoist is in negotiations to headline The Girls on the Bus, which just received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max, I have learned. Benoist also is expected to serve as a producer on the drama series, an adaptation of Amy Chozick’s best-selling book Chasing Hillary, from Julie Plec, Chozick, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV. Reps for HBO Max and WBTV declined comment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMelissa Benoist could soon be returning to the Berlanti-verse.Variety has confirmed with sources that Benoist is in talks to star in the series “Girls on the Bus” at HBO Max, which is executive produced by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti previously executive produced The CW series “Supergirl,” which starred Benoist in the title role.Reps for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television declined to comment.It was announced on Thursday that “Girls on the Bus” has received a straight-to-series order at HBO Max after previously having been set up at The CW and Netflix.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe CW’s “All American” has had a successful run — a notably successful one, on a network dominated by superhero programming — taking on stories about high school football. Now, a spinoff shifts the action to college baseball and tennis, but keeps the source material’s focus on Black youth.

EXCLUSIVE: Christian James (Cerebrum) is set for a key recurring role opposite Daniel Ezra, Samantha Logan and Michael Evans Behling in CW’s All American.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJulie Plec and Amy Chozick’s “The Girls on the Bus” is on the move again, this time to HBO Max.The streamer has given the drama series a straight-to-series order. It was most recently set up at The CW for development, having moved to the broadcaster from Netflix. Netflix had originally given the show a series order back in 2019, but it was previously reported that they had dropped the show after the pandemic pushed back the start of production.“The Girls on the Bus” is inspired by a chapter in Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.” The show 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.

HBO Max has set premiere dates for three movies: Moonshot, Father of the Bride and the New Line reboot of 1990s comedy House Party. 

Natalie Abrams, the entertainment journalist-turned TV writer behind The CW’s Supergirl and upcoming Gotham Knights, has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNatalie Abrams has signed with CAA for representation in all areas. She continues to be repped by attorney Patti Felker at Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson.Abrams most recently landed a pilot order at The CW for the DC series “Gotham Knights.” She serves as a writer on the pilot alongside Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux, with Greg Berlanti executive producing.Abrams is no stranger to the DC universe on The CW, having worked as a writer on “Batwoman” as well as “Supergirl.” She has also written for fellow CW show “All American.” She also write a Batwoman tie-in comic book for DC Comics, which is due to be released this spring.Prior to getting into writing for television, Abrams worked as an entertainment journalist.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Producers Guild of America has named producer, writer, director Greg Berlanti as this year’s honoree for the Norman Lear Achievement Award. Berlanti will receive the award at the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award from everyone at the PGA, especially given it’s named after Norman Lear: the kindest, warmest and wisest legend I’ve ever had the good fortune of calling a friend.

Greg Berlanti, the producer behind the DC TV universe and many other series and films, is getting a prestigious career honor from the Producers Guild of America. He is set to receive the Norman Lear Award at the Producers Guild Awards next month.

Joseph Morgan (The Originals) and Franka Potente (Taboo) have been cast as series regulars and Lisa Ambalavanar (Doctors) as a recurring for the upcoming fourth season of DC’s Titans on HBO Max.

NBC has given a pilot order to Unbroken, a drama from New Amsterdam executive producer Shaun Cassidy and Universal Television.

EXCLUSIVE: Longtime CW and WB communications executive Suzanne Gomez has joined Berlanti Productions and Berlanti-Schechter Films in the newly created role as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Talent Relations. Gomez will oversee all marketing, communications and talent relations for the Warner Brothers-based television production company and Netflix-based film company. Gomez will report to company partners Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter.

NBC has handed a pilot order to Found, a one-hour missing person drama from the All American team of showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll and executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The project hails from Berlanti Productions, Carroll’s Rock My Soul Productions and Warner Bros. TV, where Berlanti and Carroll are under overall deals.