Small Screen: ‘Velma’ Canceled After Two Seasons, ‘The Day You Begin’ Ordered By PBS Kids
Samantha Logan - Victoria Sirakova
Broadcast: CW’s series All American will see Samantha Logan (The Empty Man) return in its seventh season as a guest star. Logan's character Olivia Baker is rumored to be reuniting with her brother Jordan for an undisclosed special event. Additionally, actor Daniel Ezra (The Discovery of Witches)–who announced his departure from the series–will appear as a guest star and director this season. The seventh season has been renewed for 13 episodes.
PBS Kids has ordered an animated special for The Day You Begin. The special will be based on Jacqueline Woodson's picture book of the same name and will be produced by Atomic Cartoons. The story follows kindergarteners Angelina, Rigoberto, Oni, and Andre as they tackle their first day of school. Production is currently ongoing in Vancouver. Author Woodson expressed her excitement over the production.
“The Day You Begin has been so beloved by so many kids in this country and around the world,” she said. “I’m excited to see it come to animated life on screen, where even more young people can see — through the characters in this story — reflections of their own beauty and brilliance. PBS KIDS is the perfect place for this show.”
Reza Brojerdi - Christian Marquardt / Stringer
Cable: Showtime's series The Agency has added Reza Brojerdi, Adam Nagaitis, Ambreen Razia, Bilal Hasna, David Harewood, Kurt Egyiawan, Ray BLK, and Sabrina Wu to the cast. Brojerdi will play Reza, a professor running an exchange program to Tehran, Nagaitis will play a security officer named Grandma, Razia will play undercover CIA agent Blair, Hasna will play intelligence analyst Simon, Harewood will play Sudanese businessman Dalaga, Egyiawan will play Sudanese Mukhabarat agent Osman, Ray BLK will play security officer Dozer, and Wu will play Raine, assistant to the Director of Operations. The series is based on the French series Le Bureau des Légendes and is currently in production in London.
Velma - Max
Streaming: Max's animated series Velma has been canceled after two seasons. The show stars Mindy Kaling (The Office) as Velma and premiered its second season in April. The series was a prequel to Scooby-Doo, with Velma and the Mystery Inc. gang as high school students solving mysteries in Crystal Cove. Max praised the series for its fresh take on the franchise but confirmed it will not return for a third season, although a Halloween special was released on October 3.
“While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we thank them for their compelling coming-of-age storytelling, unrivaled clues, and hilarious hijinks,” said Max in a statement.
Peacock's untitled The Office Universe expansion has added Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own) to its cast. Ikumelo joins Alex Edelman, Tim Key, and Eric Rahill, who also serve as writers on the untitled mockumentary. The new series follows the documentary crew from Dunder Mifflin as they search for a new subject, and find a struggling Midwestern newspaper run by volunteer reporters. Other cast members include Domhnall Gleeson (The Patient), Sabrina Impacciatore (7 Women and a Murder), Melvin Gregg (Share), Chelsea Frei (My Father's Daughter), and Ramona Young (The Prank).
HBO's series Lanterns has finally chosen to cast Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) as John Stewart. This decision comes after debates over who would be cast as John Stewart, and Pierre was rumored along with Stephan James (Beacon 23) and Damson Idris (F1). The series is based on DC's Green Lantern comic books series and will follow John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they investigate an American murder. The series was picked up for eight episodes in June.
Hulu's drama series All's Fair has added Anthony Hemingway (Forever) as a director and executive producer. Hemingway joins Ryan Murphy on the production team to direct multiple episodes of the upcoming first season. The series features Kim Kardashian as a divorce lawyer in an all-woman firm. The cast features famous actresses such as Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive), and Sarah Paulson (Ratched), to name a few.
Apple TV+ has added Amber Midthunder (Prey) to the second season cast of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Midthunder will play recurring character Isabel, an influential businesswoman. The series will explore the lives of two siblings discovering their family's generational connection to the Monarch organization. Midthunder has previously worked on works like Legion, Rosewell, New Mexico, and Ice Road. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is created by Matt Fraction and Chris Black.
Ego Nwodim (Mr. Throwback) and Sam Richardson (The Afterparty) have been added to Peacock's second season of Poker Face. Details about their roles are undisclosed, but they will be featured as guest stars along a lineup of Giancarlo Espositio (Better Call Saul), Kumail Nanjiani (Migration), and John Mulaney (Big Mouth). The series tells the story of Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) who solves mysteries across America with her impeccable lie detecting skills. Lyonne will also direct for the upcoming second season.
Netflix has added Barry Shabaka Henley (Bob Hearts Abishola), Vondie Curtis Hall (The Night Hall), and Shaun Parkes (Mangrove) to the cast of their upcoming series Death by Lightning. The series is created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The actors will join castmates Archie Fisher (Boarders), Željko Ivanek (Madam Secretary), Kyle Soller (Bodies), Ben Miles (Douglas is Cancelled), and Alistair Petrie (Sex Education). The series is based on Candice Millard's book Destiny of the Republic and follows President James Garfield's assassination by Charles Guiteau. Production has wrapped up and the series is expected to debut in 2025.
Hulu's series Downforce has added Amar Chadha-Patel (The Decameron) and Arturo Del Puerto (Pulse) to the cast. The series follows Victoria (Eve Hewson), who is the daughter of Sir Trevor (Murray Bartlett). She is forced back into the family business andreconnecting their family's racing team,Regent Racing. Chadha-Patel will play Ihsan, the chief mechanic, and Del Puerto will play Emiliano, a rival team owner. The pilot episode is directed by Alec Berg and will be produced by Adam Countee, Marty Bowen, Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon, and Wyck Godfrey.
Kristen Maxwell (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) and Tiffany Ho (Amos' Bride) are set to appear in Netflix's series His & Hers. The series stars Tessa Thompson (Westworld) and is adapted from Alice Feeney’s novel of the same name. Maxwell will play Teen Anna, the younger version of Thompson’s character, and Ho will play Teen Helen, the younger version of Poppy Liu’s character. The six-episode series is directed by William Oldroyd and takes place in Atlanta. The story focuses on Anna, who hears about a murder in her hometown of Dahlonega. As she investigates, Detective Jack Harper grows suspicious of her involvement.
Ed wheeler - imdb
Industry: On August 21st, 2024, actor Ed Wheeler passed away at 88 years old in Englewood, New Jersey, due to respiratory failure from pneumonia. Wheeler was known for his roles across media, including his appearances in Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Presumed Innocent, and Broadcast News. Wheeler was celebrated for his contributions to theater, particularly with the Negro Ensemble Company, and was honored with the Living Legend Award at the 2017 National Black Theatre Festival.
Allen Media Group has initiated another round of layoffs, including employees at The Weather Channel, HBCU Go, Entertainment Studios, and their ad sales divisions. This follows a previous workforce reduction announced in May. These layoffs come amid ongoing industry-wide reductions, with companies like Paramount, Netflix, Disney, and A+E Networks also making cuts in recent months. Byron Allen's Allen Media Group owns 36 network affiliate stations and other media properties, and there is no details on how many people have been affected.
Vritika Gupta (Under the Bridge) has signed with Echo Lake Entertainment for management. Gupta portrayed Reena Virk in Hulu's series Under the Bridge about the murder of a teenager in Canada in 1997. Gupta is now looking to support anti-bullying and wellness organizations. Gupta is represented by JT Thornton at The Library Agency.
Carlacia Grant (Outer Banks) has signed with Anonymous Content for representation. Grant most notably appeared as Cleo in Season 4 of Outer Banks in the October 10th premiere. Grant has also appeared in Greenleaf, Roots, and Game of Silence. Grant remains represented by TalentWorks, TMP Artists, imPRint, and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett, and Kole.
Management company 42 has signed with Monica Beletsky (Manhunt). Beletsky is known for her work on critically acclaimed shows such as Manhunt, Fargo, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, and The Leftovers. Beletsky is also a mentor for The Black List and Women in Film’s Episodic Writing Lab to support underrepresented writers. She will continue to be represented by Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole LLP and Persona PR.
Amazon is attempting to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed by Prime Video users who are upset about the platform adding ads unless an extra fee is paid. In an October 4th court filing, Amazon argued that its terms and conditions clearly allow it to modify Prime membership benefits, including Prime Video. The lawsuit, initiated in February 2024, accuses Amazon of misleading customers by introducing ads unless users pay $2.99 per month for ad-free streaming. Amazon counters that it never promised ad-free viewing forever and that some content, such as live sports, already included ads. Lead plaintiff Wilbert Napoleon argues customers shouldn't have to pay extra for what they believed was an ad-free service. Amazon maintains that its decision to introduce ads complies with the terms agreed upon by Prime members, and the lawsuit is unfounded.
Starz and BritBox have introduced a bundled subscription, allowing new customers to access both streaming platforms through one subscription on Starz.com. At $14.99 per month, this bundle offers a 25% savings compared to subscribing separately. This move is part of a wider trend among streamers to bundle services to boost subscriptions and reduce customer churn, as Lionsgate and Starz prepare to separate into distinct companies by the end of the year.
Lance Gross (Our Kind of People) has signed with M88 for representation. Gross has been featured in works like Our Kind of People, Too Old to Die Young, Hawaii 5-0, and MacGyver, to name a few. Gross has worked with Tyler Perry for various projects, such as House of Payne in which he won four NAACP Image Awards for. He has also created the series I Turned My Camera On to interview celebrities. Gross remains represented by Gersh.
At the Bloomberg Screentime conference, Netflix's CCO Bela Bajaria addressed speculation about changes in Netflix's compensation model, calling the rumors "total fabrications." She emphasized that Netflix's current payment structure for talent in film and TV is not undergoing any major changes. Bajaria acknowledged Netflix's willingness to evolve as business demands change, but stressed that recent media reports about a new model are inaccurate. Bajaria also discussed Netflix's commitment to production, noting that while there was a lighter output due to the Hollywood strikes, upcoming releases like Squid Game Season 2 and Bridgerton will drive renewed viewership.
20th Television has signed a deal with Daniel Dae Kim (Yellow Face) to develop and produce comedy, drama, and limited series with 3AD production company. 3AD’s development will be led by John Cheng and will target platforms within Disney Entertainment Television. Kim expressed excitement about returning to Disney on the 20th anniversary of Lost, stating that he looks forward to creating new content. While the deal doesn't mention acting, Kim could potentially appear in 3AD projects, as he has in the past. Kim is represented by Linden, UTA, and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.
The UK's Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) has unveiled its first board. British documentary producer Jane Preston, music lawyer Dr. Kienda Hoji, Advertising Standards Authority CEO Guy Parker, and former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal join the board alongside chair Helena Kennedy. CIISA, led by former BFI exec Jen Smith, has been in development for years to provide a platform for reporting misconduct within the creative industries.
