Small Screen: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Joins The MCU As Wonder Man; Mark Consuelos Boards ‘The Girls On The Bus’
Emayatzy Corinealdi - Raymond Hall
Broadcast: A new family comedy from a head writer at HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show is in development at ABC. Lauren Ashley Smith is developing the single-camera comedy called Moore & More with CBS Studios and Two Shakes Entertainment described as a “family series follows a close-knit group of mostly-gay sisters who have a familial identity crisis when the lone bi sister brings her male fiancé into the family.” Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow, the founders of Two Shakes, will executive produce alongside Smith, who is also writing.
ABC is also going to air the premiere episode of the Hulu series Reasonable Doubt on Thursday, November 10th. The first scripted series from Onyx Collective, Reasonable Doubt which stars, was created by writer Raamla Mohamed and director Kerry Washington who both executive produce, along with Pilar Savone, Larry Wilmore, Shawn Holley, Jon Leshay, Pete Chatmon, and Will McDonald. The show has an all-Black writing staff and also stars McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Aderinsola Olabode and Michael Ealy.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II - Bruce Glikas
Streaming: Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, known for playing the villain Black Manta in the DCEU movie Aquaman and Dr. Manhattan on HBO’s Watchmen series, is adding another comic book character to his resume. It was recently announced that he is joining the MCU as the star of the upcoming Wonder Man series for Disney+. The series comes from Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer and producer Andrew Guest. Created in 1964, the character of Wonder Man is heavily involved in the comic book stories of Vision and Wanda/Scarlet Witch, as well as being a founding member of the West Coast Avengers, which could tie him to the character of She-Hulk. This news comes after the announcement that Ben Kingsley would be reprising his role of actor Trevor Slattery for the Wonder Man series.
Ali Ahn is joining the cast of Disney+’s WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos. The Supernatural and Billions actress has been added to the cast along with stars Katherine Hahn, Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Maria Dizzier and Emma Caulfield Ford. Hahn is reprising her role as Agatha Harkness in the new Marvel series from WandaVision creator Jac Shaeffer, who also serves as writer and executive producer. Agatha: Coven of Chaos is set to premiere on the streamer next year.
Avantika (Senior Year, Spin) will star in a live-action YA series based on the second book in Roshani Chokshi’s bestselling Star-Touched Queen duology A Crown Of Wishes for Disney. She’ll play Princess Gauri in the Hindu-based fantasy, who is imprisoned and exiled after a failed siege against her malevolent brother, the King of Bharata, and teams up with a prince from a rival land to enter the Tournament of Wishes. Avantika is also set to executive produce with Zanne Devine, and Raj Raghava of ColorCreative.
Jermelle Simon, who plays Bernard Upshaw Jr. on the Netflix series The Upshaws, has been upped to series regular for the newly announced third season. Simon plays UPS worker and new dad Bernard Upshaw, Jr., who’s the eldest son of Regina (Kim Fields) and Bennie’s (Mike Epps) on the multi-camera comedy about a working-class African American family in Indiana. Created by Wanda Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks, who also serve as showrunners and executive producers, The Upshaws second season premiered in June and will air the remaining episodes in early 2023.
Last week we reported that the Onyx Collective had ordered the project Deli Boys from 20th Television. It was recently reported that Abdullah Saeed’s comedy pilot was being developed for Hulu and actress Poorna Jagannath (Never Have I Ever) would be joining the cast. The series focuses on Pakistani American brothers Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj Dar (Saagar Shaikh) who find out their convenience-store magnate had a secret life of crime that they try to continue after his death. Jagannathan is set to play their father’s right-hand woman, Lucky. From 20th Television, Deli Boys will be executive produced by Saeed, directed by Nisha Ganatra, Jenni Konner, Vali Chandrasekaran, and Nora Silver.
Hulu’s The Other Black Girl has added four names to the cast as series regulars, including Sinclair Daniel, Ashleigh Murray and Brittany Adebumola. Based on the New York Times Bestselling novel of the same name, the series is executive produced by Rashida Jones, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Adam Fishbach, Zakiya Dalila Harris, and showrunners Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey. Daniel (One December Night) stars as Nella, the only Black girl at Wagner Books until Hazel, played by Murray (Tom Swift) arrives. Adebumola (4400) plays Malaika, described as “an old lady at heart who is queer and constantly comparing notes on life goals.”
Grace Duah of the HBO Max reboot of Gossip Girl has been promoted to series regular for the show’s second season. Set nine years after the website in the original CW series went dark, the new iteration is written, executive produced, and developed by Joshua Safran and premiered in July 2021 to record viewership. Duah plays free spirit Shan Barnes in a cast that includes Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak and Johnathon Fernandez, among others. Supposedly Season 2 will reveal more about Shan and her relationships.
Mark Consuelos (Only Murders in the Building) has been tapped to play a recurring role in The Girls on the Bus, the upcoming political drama from HBO Max. The series comes from writers Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, and stars Melissa Benoit as a journalist covering a presidential campaign who bonds with three female competitors, Grace (Carla Gugino), Lola (Natasha Behnam), and Kimberlyn (Christina Elmore). The former soap star is set to portray a significant Hollywood action star-turned-politician who joins the presidential race.
A coming-of-age drama from Kagiso Lediga, creator of Netflix’s first African series, Queen Sono, has been ordered to series by Amazon Freevee. The eight-episode series will follow Ella Gardner, who is moved from Oakland, California to Johannesburg, South Africa to live with her estranged father and his new family. Lediga will serve as writer, lead director, and showrunner along with Karabo Lediga, Saloojee, Meja Shoba, Christopher Steenkamp, and Nomawonga Khumalo while Tebogo Malope and Karabo Lediga will also direct. The show will be produced by Skybound Galactic and Diprente with Sony Pictures Television handling distribution outside of the U.S. and Africa.
Maggie zhang - twitter
Industry: In a speech addressing the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition, FCC member and Democrat Geoffrey Starks suggested that broadcast companies should compete with streaming services using government subsidies. According to Stark, government subsidy would help consumers pay for new ATSC 3.0 advanced-TV transmission systems and the new IP-based tech will give viewers the benefits of internet over-the-air for free. He added that the government might need to step in as it did with government-subsidized digital TV converters when broadcasters transitioned from analog in 2009 or even the FCC could help regulate digital transition equipment. Stark explained the drive for broadcast television to emulate streaming media by saying that “one of the best things that streaming media has brought us is more diverse content, reflecting groups who don’t often see themselves on television” and in he believes “broadcasters should be thinking about the members of their communities whose stories aren’t being told, who might speak different languages or live in isolated areas, and how this benefit of additional, free content be used to serve them.”
NBCUniversal has added five senior executives to its global advertising and partnerships division, including Maggie Zhang, a senior VP of measurement strategy and operations. Zhang previously led the measurement team at Amazon Ads and was also the executive VP of video research & insights at Dentsu. She joins Dan Bernard, Kaitie Coghlan, Nick Illobre, and Leah van Zelm as the five take on their new roles to transform data, technology, and measurement capabilities at NBCUniversal which, according to president and chief business officer Krishan Bhatia, will help customers better engage with their audiences.
The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal has moved to CAA for representation. He was previously repped by Brandon Liebman with WME, however Liebman left recently to work for UTA. Known for his work on Game of Thrones, Pascal will next be seen on HBO as the lead of the series adaptation The Last of Us and the true crime limited series My Dentist’s Murder Trial.