Tag: CBS Studios

  • ‘Nancy Drew spinoff ‘Tom Swift’ gets series order from The CW network

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Tom Swift”, a spinoff show based on popular teen detective Nancy Drew, has secured a straight to series order from The CW network.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tian Richards, known for “Burden”, plays the titular character of a Black, gay billionaire inventor in the upcoming drama.

    Like “Nancy Drew”, “Tom Swift” too has its roots in early 20th century novels for young readers from the Stratemeyer Syndicate.

    The spinoff revolves around the protagonist who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father.

    Tom takes to the road on a quest to unravel the truth, leaving behind the comforts of his usual moneyed lifestyle while fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale group hell-bent on stopping him.

    The team behind “Nancy Drew”, including showrunner Melinda Hsu Taylor and series creators Noga Landau, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, are part of the spinoff.

    “Tom Swift” went into development last October, with Richards making his first appearance as the character in a May episode of “Nancy Drew”, fronted by Kennedy McMann.

    Taylor, Landau and Cameron Johnson (“Empire”) created the series and executive produces alongside Fake Empire’s Schwartz, Savage and Lis Rowinski.

    CBS Studios and Fake Empire have produced the spinoff.

  • Paramount Plus unveils trailers for ‘Star Trek’ animated series ‘Prodigy’, ‘Lower Decks’

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: The cast and creators of Paramount Plus’ ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ and ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ debuted the teaser trailer for the series on Friday, July 23, 2021, during the virtual Comic-Con@Home panel for the ‘Star Trek’ TV universe.

    According to Variety, the former animated series will debut in the US this fall, while the latter returns to the streamer on August 12.

    ‘Prodigy’ is the first ‘Star Trek’ series aimed at younger audiences. It will follow a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future.

    At the beginning of this show, the six young outcasts know nothing about the starship they’ve commandeered, of which the trailer provides a glimpse. But over the course of their adventures together, each will be introduced to Starfleet, and the ideals it represents.

    Emmy winners Kevin and Dan Hageman have developed ‘Prodigy’. The show is produced by CBS Studios’ Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment and the Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

    The trailer also unveiled the first look at that starship, which is not, as the show’s title might suggest, named ‘Prodigy’. Instead, a close look revealed it’s named to be ‘U.S.S. Protostar’.

    Its registry number started with NX instead of NCC, indicating that the ‘Protostar’ is an experimental ship rather than a fully commissioned starship. How and why it came to be abandoned are mysteries that the show will explore.

    Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Katie Krentz, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth are executively producing it alongside the Hagemans, who serve as showrunners. Ben Hibon will direct the show directs along with co-executive producing it. Aaron Baiers also serves as co-executive producer.

    The new Paramount plus Original’s voice cast includes Kate Mulgrew, Brett Gray, Ella Purnell, Angus Imrie, Rylee Alazraqui, Dee Bradley Baker, and Jason Mantzoukas, among others.

    The trailer for ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’, which is an adult animated show developed by Mike McMahan was unveiled following the ‘Prodigy’ panel. The half-hour comedy series centres on the support crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos, one of Starfleet’s least important ships.

    Returning for its second season, the show will be “bigger” and “funnier”, with an enjoyable mix of “silly” and “serious” Trek, as per McMahan. “It’s just a blast,” he said. Fans can expect strange new (and familiar) aliens to challenge the crews of the U.S.S. Cerritos and the U.S.S. Titan.

    ‘Lower Decks’ is produced by CBS Studios’ Eye Animation Productions, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Creator-showrunner McMahan has executive produced it alongside Secret Hideout’s Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin and Aaron Baiers, Roddenberry Entertainment’s Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, and Katie Krentz for 219 Productions.

    The show’s voice cast includes Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Eugene Cordero, Noel Wells, Jerry O’Connell, and others.

    ‘Prodigy’ EPs Kevin and Dan Hageman joined director/co-EP Hibon for a conversation as part of the panel, which also featured voice actors Mulgrew, Gray, Purnell, Imrie, Alazraqui, Baker, and Mantzoukas.

    The ‘Lower Decks’ panel featured creator, showrunner and EP McMahan, along with voice actors Newsome, Quaid and Cordero. O’Connell moderated both conversations. 

  • Amazon scraps Joe Exotic series starring Nicolas Cage

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Nicolas Cage has revealed that he will no longer play Joe Exotic, the subject of the hit documentary series “Tiger King”, in a new scripted show which is not moving forward at Amazon Studios.

    The project would have marked the first regular television role for the Oscar winner, who was also attached to serve as executive producer on the potential show.

    According to Cage, the series did not come to fruition at the streamer as Amazon felt the interest in the story had started fading away.

    “We should clear the record. I read two excellent scripts, which I did think were excellent, but I think Amazon ultimately felt that it was material that had become past tense because it took so long for it to come together. They felt at one point that it was lightning in a bottle, but that point has since faded into the distance and it’s no longer relevant,” the 57-year-old actor told Variety.

    Sources close to the situation say the project, produced by Imagine and CBS Studios, maybe shopped to other outlets.

    Amazon declined to comment on the status of the Joe Exotic series.

    Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, was the subject of the popular “Tiger King”, documentary series from Netflix.

    A former Oklahoma tiger-zoo owner, Joe Exotic is serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who was trying to shut down his big-cat operation.

    Another series on “Tiger King” story is under development at the streamer Peacock, with Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell attached to star.

    Cage is currently earning praise for his performance as a truffle hunter who goes searching for his pig after she is kidnapped in first-time feature writer-director Michael Sanrosksi’s “Pig”, which opens on Friday, July 16, 2021, at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

  • Pete Holmes to play pro bowler in CBS Studios’ untitled comedy

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Actor Pete Holmes is set to essay the role of a pro bowler in an untitled comedy pilot from CBS Television Studios. According to Variety, the multi-camera comedy is penned by writer Mark Gross.

    It focuses on the real story of Tom Smallwood, a Michigan man who is laid off from a General Motors automotive plant and decides to pursue his dream of becoming a professional bowler. Gross will also serve as executive producer on the show along with David Hollander and Brian D’Arcy James.

    Holmes recently created, executive produced and headlined HBO’s comedy series “Crashing”, which ran for three seasons.