TV Talk

Wonder Woman Director Patty Jenkins Makes Netflix Series Deal

Plus, Ryan Murphy reveals more Netflix projects; Snowpiercer, Watchmen, and Batwoman will present at New York Comic Con; new Masked Singer costumes; and the latest trailers.

by | September 6, 2019 | Comments

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Director, writer, and producer Patty Jenkins is the latest to sign with streaming giant Netflix. Speaking of… Ryan Murphy unveils a slew of Netflix projects he’s developing. Plus, the streamer announces Kevin James’ new comedy, and the 25th anniversary of Friends is giving fans around the world a chance to celebrate.


PATTY JENKINS SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH NETFLIX

WONDER WOMAN, director Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot on set, 2017. ph: Clay Enos/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection

(Photo by Clay Enos/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection (Patty Jenkins with 'Wonder Woman' star Gal Gadot on set))

Writer, director, and producer Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster, I Am the Night) has agreed to enter a multi-year overall deal to produce new series exclusively at Netflix.

“I’m so excited to embark on a great journey of making the new world of television with a company and group of people I admire as much as Ted, Cindy, Channing, Peter and the team at Netflix,” Jenkins said in a statement. “I look forward to digging in to some great work together soon.”

Jenkins is currently working on Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to her $820-million grossing 2017 superhero film.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Patty Jenkins to Netflix. Her trailblazing work has pushed boundaries and she confidently tells stories that leave an unforgettable mark. We look forward to fostering her many ideas and helping them come to life,” Netflix Vice President of Original Series Channing Dungey said in a statement.

The deal is valued at $10 million over three years, Variety reported.


RELATED: 21 Most Memorable Movie Moments: Patty Jenkins on “No Man’s Land” from Wonder Woman (2017)


RYAN MURPHY ADDS A CHORUS LINE AND HALSTON TO HIS NETFLIX SLATE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 23: Ryan Murphy attends the TIME 100 Gala Red Carpet at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME)

(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME)

In addition to the already announced One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched, starring Sarah Paulson, and The Politician premiering September 27, Ryan Murphy told Time Magazine about seven more streaming shows he is producing for Netflix.

Murphy is adapting two Broadway musicals: A Chorus Line as a 10-episode series and The Prom as a feature starring Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. Ewan McGregor is set to star as fashion designer Halston in a Murphy miniseries, while Patti Lupone and Holland Taylor are slated for the sex industry drama Hollywood.

“Jessica Lange and I are working on a piece about Marlene Dietrich in Vegas in the early ’60s,” he told Time. “But I’m so booked. When am I going to do it? I don’t know.”

He’s also developing documentaries, including a 10-part Andy Warhol series and the film A Secret Love about an octogenarian couple coming out as lesbians.


NEW YORK COMIC-CON LINEUP INCLUDES WATCHMEN
SCREENING, SNOWPIERCER EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK

WarnerMedia announced it would present a Snowpiercer panel at New York Comic Con, promising an exclusive sneak peek at the series starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs and based on the 2014 film of the same name. Impractical Jokers, Tacoma FD, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and All Elite Wrestling are also coming to NYCC.

CBS will bring Star Treks Picard and Discovery, as well as Evil and Tell Me a Story, and The CW’s Nancy Drew and Charmed, according to Deadline.

Netflix announced it will preview season 3 of Big Mouth with Nick Kroll and season 2 of Lost in Space with the cast, plus the world premiere of their new series Daybreak.

Hulu, meanwhile, will present world premiere screenings and panels on Marvel’s Runaways season 3, J.J. Abrams and Stephen King’s Castle Rock season 2, and Reprisal’s first season.

Castle Rock is produced by Warner Bros. Television, which announced that it will also present Watchmen and Batwoman screenings with Q&As; Riverdale, Manifest, and Roswell, New Mexico video presentations with Q&As; a Harley Quinn screening; and the premiere of new footage from Black Lightning, Katy Keene, Legacies, Prodigal Son and Titans.


THE SEVENTH FRIENDS CAST MEMBER IS GOING ON TOUR

Friends couch in the Grand Canyon (Warner Bros. Productions.)

(Photo by Warner Bros. Productions)

The sofa from Central Perk on Friends is going on a world tour to celebrate the landmark sitcom’s 25th anniversary. Wherever you are, the sofa will be there for you to take selfies with up to two of your closest friends, maybe four if you skooch together.

Complete tour dates here but some of the major destinations include the Grand Canyon; Empire State Building; London’s Tower Bridge, London Eye and Abby Road; Burj Khalifa in Dubai (the one Tom Cruise climbed in Mission: Impossible); Comic-Con Africa; and the Tribeca TV, Toronto and Venice Film Festivals.

The sofa appears in multiple places simultaneously, so is it possible some of those are not the actual screen- used sofa? Or can the Friends sofa fold space and time? It is magical, you know.


KEVIN JAMES WILL BE THE KING OF NASCAR

Kevin Can Wait stars Kevin James and Erinn Hayes (CBS)

(Photo by CBS)

You can’t keep Kevin James off TV for too long. Kevin Can Wait ended in its third season last spring, so it only took James about a year to line up a new show. This time it’s for Netflix, for which he starred in True Memoirs of an International Assassin.

The Crew stars James as the crew chief in a NASCAR garage. It will still feel familiar to King of Queens fans because it will be a multi-camera situation comedy, James will face off against millennials who think technology can fix everything. NASCAR has two executive producers on the series too.


THE MASKED SINGER DEBUTS TWO MASKS

The Masked Singer released a promo revealing Thingamajig and Butterfly ahead of their sneak peek September 15 and season 2 premiere September 25. Thingamajic belts out Kacey Musgraves from inside that big green fur, and Butterfly rocks out to Jessie J/Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj without letting those wings get in the way.


FREEFORM IS MAKING A THANKSGIVING MOVIE

Marvel's Cloak and Dagger stars Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt (Freeform/Alfonso Bresciani)

(Photo by Freeform/Alfonso Bresciani)

Freeform announced its first Thanksgiving movie. Turkey Drop will star Olivia Holt of Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. She’ll play Lucy Jacobs, a college freshman returning home worried her high school boyfriend is going to turkey drop her, dumped over the holidays.

Freeform’s press release promises Lucy’s efforts to keep her boyfriend will push her out of her comfort zone and teach her to put herself first. Adventures in Babysitting remake writer Tiffany Paulsen writes. Schitt’s Creek director Jerry Ciccoritti directs. You can see Turkey Drop during Freeform’s November “Kickoff to Christmas,”


TRAILER UPDATE: THIS IS US, THE DEUCE, THE PURGE, AND MORE

The trailer for season 4 of This Is Us shows a glimpse at the expanding word of the Pearson family. Jennifer Morrison appears both in and out of military fatigues, and montages show glimpses of a host of new characters. Favorite guest stars Ron Cephas Jones and Phylicia Rashad also make appearances in the trailer.

FXX released the trailer for season 14 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The gang plays laser tag, goes to the zoo, solves a black and white Sin City mystery, and experiments with flatlining and revival. Charlie (Charlie Day) pees on Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Frank (Danny DeVito) is very protective of his melon.

You can also check out the following new trailers:

– A Walking Dead season 10 teaser with no new footage.

– A full trailer for The Deuce’s third and final season.

– A first look at season 2 of USA’s The Purge.

– The trailer for Fox’s newest animated comedy Bless the Hearts.

– A trailer for Cake,  FXX’s short-form live-action and animation showcase Cake.

– The trailer for Criminal on Netflix featuring Hayley Atwell and David Tennant.

– The trailer for Netflix’s mystery series The I-Land inspired by the trailer for the Fyre documentary.

– First looks at CBS’s new romantic sitcoms Bob Hearts Abishola and The Unicorn.

– A trailer for season 3 of Young Sheldon.

– The trailer for Into the Dark’s September horror movie Pure.

– New teasers for The CW’s Nancy Drew and Batwoman, AT&T Audience Network’s Mr. Mercedes, FX’s American Horror Story: 1984 and Mr. In Between season 2, and Paramount Network’s Yellowstone season 3.


CASTING UPDATE: HOMECOMING’S NEW KING

Homecoming season 1 stars Julia Roberts (Amazon Prime Video)

(Photo by Amazon Prime Video)

Julia Roberts is not returning to the second season of Amazon’s Homecoming, which will tell a new story not based on the podcast. Chris Cooper will star in season 2, according to Deadline, which also reports that Glynn Turman has joined the cast of Fargo season 4 in a recurring role.

Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn will help Ovation relaunch Inside the Actors Studio on Sunday, October 13 at 10 p.m., the network announced.

Rebel Wilson will host the Australian pet competition show Pooch Perfect for Australia’s Network Seven, according to Deadline, while John Stamos, Tony Revolori and Georgia King will recur on Quibi’s Darren Criss/Kether Donohue songwriter comedy Royalties.

Netflix cast Priyanka Chopra in The White Tiger, and Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes will star in Netflix’s historical true story The Dig, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Paramount Network announced its cast for its Army medic dramedy 68 Whisky. Sam Keeley, Gage Golightly, Cristina Rodlo, Jeremy Tardy and Nicholas Coombe star. The show will premiere in early 2020.

Christoph Waltz joins Liam Hemsworth in an untitled thriller for Quibi. Danielle Mone Truitt has joined the Fox cop drama Deputy as a new character, replacing one played by Siena Goines. Stephen Dorff still stars with Truitt. Martha Plimpton joins the cast of HBO Max’s original Generation. The Resident adds Kearran Giovanni, Geoffrey Cantor, Michael Paul Chan and Erinn Westbrook for recurring roles in season 3, according to Deadline.

Garcelle Beauvais joins The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for season 10, Bravo TV announced. She is the first African-American housewife on the show. Sutton Stracke also joins RHOBH. Ken Jeong, Nicki Glaser, Caroline Rhea, and Adam Carolla will perform at the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin.


DEVELOPMENT UPDATE: HULU GRABS HANDMAID’S TALE SEQUEL

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

(Photo by Hulu)

Hulu announced it was developing a series based on Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale sequel, The Testaments. Atwood’s book releases September 10, and Handmaid’s series creator Bruce Miller is in talks for the sequel series.

USA Network announced it has ordered limited series Evel, to star Milo Ventimiglia and based on the life of the 1970s daredevil Evel Knievel. Production is expected to begin in 2020.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star, write, and executive produce drama series Mr. Corman, about an L.A. elementary school teacher, for Apple TV+, Variety reports.

The Obamas’ choice of names for their production company is in dispute, according to THR. They wanted to call it Higher Ground Productions, but there is already a Higher Ground Enterprises.

Monk creator Andy Breckman and director Randy Zisk are adapting the German detective show Einstein for CBS, according to Deadline. Tyler Perry has formed a new production company with Tim Palen, Peachtree & Vine Productions, according to THR.

NBC is developing a drama about a billionaire who freezes 250 people cryogenically, THR reports. The drama begins when they each wake up at different times. The Peacock is also developing Brain Trust, Deadline reports, about grad students developing the technology to project one’s mind into someone else’s body.

Marco Polo creator John Fusco and action director Renny Harlin are developing a TV series about the Hong Kong Triads, according to Deadline. Fox is developing an animated western comedy aimed at adults called Saloon, Variety reports.

Apple will not move forward with Richard Gere’s streaming series Bastards, and Janice Min is leaving Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi streaming service, according to THR.


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