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Robert De Niro to star in Netflix thriller Zero Day. The Umbrella Academy adds Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross to final season. Matthew McConaughey’s animated series Agent Elvis announces voice cast. A Stranger Things stage play is coming to London Plus, trailers for Succession’s final season, Ted Lasso season 3, and more of the biggest news in TV and streaming of the past week.
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(Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
Netflix has moved forward with conspiracy thriller Zero Day, Robert De Niro’s first ever TV series.
The iconic actor will star in and executive produce the program, which, according to the logline, “asks the question on everyone’s mind – how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?”
The six-episode limited series, which was inspired by the stories from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael S. Schmidt, hails from Eric Newman (The Watcher, Narcos), Noah Oppenheim (Jackie, The Maze Runner), and Jonathan Glickman (Wednesday).
In a statement, Peter Friedlander, vice president of scripted series for Netflix U.S. and Canada, described Zero Day as “a shrewd, heart-pounding conspiracy thriller that will keep audiences at the edge of their seat.”
“I am a lifelong fan of Robert De Niro,” Newman added. “To have him as a producing partner and star in this show is beyond my wildest dreams. And Lesli Linka Glatter has directed so many of my favorite episodes of television; she was our clear first choice to direct this show. I am grateful to Netflix for their continued faith and support and thrilled to be in business with the amazing creative team of Noah, Lesli, and Jonathan on this timely (and terrifying) series.”
(Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
The Umbrella Academy is currently in the midst of production for its fourth and final season and the new installment is getting a trifecta of comedy talent added to the roster. Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross will all have noteworthy roles in the new season, which ensures the offbeat series will continue to rely on wonderful fits of levity amid whatever world-ending threat the Hargreeves are facing next.
Offerman, who is coming in hot off his dramatic turn as Bill in The Last of Us, will play Dr. Gene Thibedeau opposite wife Mullally, who will play his on-screen spouse Dr. Jean Thibedeau. Their characters are, as the press release described, “a pair of community college professors from New Mexico who wear sensible footwear and suffer from the most extreme case of deja vu this timeline has ever seen.”
Cross, who is known for his work as a stand-up comic, comedian, writer, actor, and director, is stepping into the role of Sy Grossman, “an upstanding, shy business owner and family man desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter, who will stop at nothing to get her back.”
Steve Blackman is once again on board as the executive producer on the series, with Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore reprising their roles in the show’s final bow.
The fourth season of Succession will mark the end of HBO’s Emmy-winning drama. And you know what that means: If the series is coming to a close, there’s an epic Roy family bloodbath on the horizon. By the looks of things, it’s going to get quite messy.
After the rug was pulled out from under Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) in the jaw-dropping season 3 finale, which elevated Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), and Greg (Nicholas Braun) on the corporate ladder, cementing their place in Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) rolodex of malleable pawns, it’s clear that revenge is the No. 1 priority on their minds. Will they achieve their birthright; Can Logan convince tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) of a merger; or will this giant house of cards crumble in everyone’s faces?
The wait is almost over.
Succession season 4 premieres Sunday, March 26 on HBO and HBO Max.
More trailers and teasers released this week:
• Dead Ringers stars Rachel Weisz as twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle, in this updated take on the David Cronenberg classic. The two who share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes — including pushing the boundaries of medical ethics — in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s health care to the forefront. Premieres April 21. (Prime Video )
• Die Hart 2: Die Harter finds Kevin Hart achieving his goal of becoming an action hero. What’s next? Cementing his status as the greatest action star of all time. But Kevin’s dream comes with a blind spot, and he soon finds himself the victim of an evil revenge plot, orchestrated by someone from his past. Ain’t Hollywood grand? Premieres March 31. (The Roku Channel)
• Gotham Knights finds Gotham City lawless after the death of Batman. Bruce Wayne’s adopted son Turner Hayes must band together with his closest allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown, and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley to become the city’s next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights. Premieres March 14. (The CW)
• Up Here is musical romantic comedy set in New York City in the waning days of 1999, that follows the extraordinary story of one ordinary couple, Lindsay and Miguel, as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves – and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears and fantasies that lives inside their heads. Premieres March 24. (Hulu)
• Mrs. Davis hails from the brilliant minds of showrunner Tara Hernandez and Emmy Award–winner Damon Lindelof, and follows a nun named Simone on an epic quest to destroy the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence known as “Mrs. Davis.” Premieres April 20. (Peacock)
• Season 3 of Ted Lasso finds the newly-promoted AFC Richmond facing ridicule as media predictions widely peg them to finish last in the Premier League. Moreover, “Wonder Kid” Nate has joined forces with Rupert at West Ham United, much to the chagrin of Rebecca. With Roy Kent stepping up as assistant coach, the team dynamic has changed. But with Ted struggling with pressures at work and personal issues back home, the new season will rack up plenty of hurdles for our heroes to overcome. Premieres March 15. (Apple TV+
• FUBAR is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first television series and stars the action as a CIA operative on the verge of retirement. After he discovers a family secret, he is forced back into the field for one last job. Premieres May 25. (Netflix)
• Peter Pan & Wendy is a live-action reimagining of the J.M. Barrie novel and the 1953 animated classic that introduces Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever. The film premieres April 28. (Disney+)
• Fatal Attraction is a deep-dive reimagining of the classic psychosexual thriller and ’80s touchstone starring Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan. Premieres April 30. (Paramount+)
For all the latest TV and streaming trailers subscribe to the Rotten Tomatoes TV YouTube channel.
What if Elvis Presley moonlit as a spy for a secret government program? That in a nutshell is the gist of Netflix’s new adult animated series (the first of its kind from Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) which is co-created by Priscilla Presley and stars Matthew McConaughey as the King of Rock and Roll.
The streamer has announced the voice cast joining McConaughey on this raucous bloody romp:
Agent Elvis premieres on March 17 on Netflix.
(Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
The Residence, Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix series has added 11 new cast members. Variety reported.
The official logline describes the series as: “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective (Uzo Aduba). One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.”
Bebe Neuwirth will play Lilith once more in Paramount+’s Frasier reboot. The actress first originated the character in Cheers, before reprising her in the original Frasier series, which was a spinoff of the classic bar-themed sitcom. She will appear as a guest star in the upcoming sequel series and is the first original cast member to be announced. (Deadline)
Zachary Quinto will star as Dr. Oliver Wolf in NBC’s medical drama pilot Wolf from Greg Berlanti and Andy Serkis. Inspired by the Oliver Sacks books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars, the program, as the official logline states, will center on “a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while also grappling with their own relationships and mental health.” (Variety)
Grantham Coleman has joined the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s Bass Reeves series. He will play a charismatic and extremely persuasive man named Edwin Jones, who has a clear vision and a promise for the future. King Richard alum Demi Singleton has also been added as a series regular, Variety reported, as Sally, Reeves’ precocious daughter. They join David Oyelowo, who plays the titular Texas lawman, and previously announced cast members Lauren E. Banks, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper, and Dennis Quaid. (Deadline)
Showtime’s Waco: The Aftermath, the follow-up drama to Paramount Network’s WACO series, has added 10 more names to its cast:
They join Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, Emmy and Tony winner John Leguizamo, Emmy nominee Giovanni Ribisi, David Costabile, J. Smith Cameron, John Hoogenakker, Keean Johnson, and Abbey Lee in the series.
(Photo by ©Showtime / Courtesy: Everett Collection)
Emmy winner Damian Lewis will return as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod for six episodes in season 7 of Showtime’s hit series Billions. The acclaimed drama is currently in production in New York City, and will return to Showtime later this year.
Horror icon Doug Bradley, best known for his performance as Pinhead in the Hellraiser movie franchise, will appear in the sixth episode of The CW’s Gotham Knights. He will play Joe Chill, the notorious villain who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. (Variety)
Modern Family alum Eric Stonestreet has joined season 2 of Disney+’s Santa Clauses. He’ll play the villainous Magnus Antas (aka the Mad Santa), who returns centuries after reigning at the North Pole to try and take down Scott Calvin and reclaim his power. Comedian Gabriel Iglesias (aka “Fluffy”) has also been added as a series regular, Deadline reported, and will play Kris Kringle, the sweet and optimistic owner and operator of Santaland, a struggling Christmas-themed amusement park. (Variety)
Hulu’s Interior Chinatown, which is based on the Charles Yu book of the same name, has added Lauren Tom, who will appear opposite star Jimmy O’Yang. She will play Betty, a successful real estate agent with a sharp suit and sharper tongue. (Deadline)
(Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images)
HBO Max’s Dune: The Sisterhood has lost a director and one of its stars. Emmy winner Johan Renck (Chernobyl) was slated to helm the first two episodes, but exited the project due to creative differences. Actress Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter movie franchise), who was tapped to play Tula Harkonnen also exited the series, putting the prequel’s production on hold as they work to replace both. (Deadline)
The Day of the Triffids, a small-screen adaptation of John Wyndham’s 1951 sci-fi novel of the same name, is in development at Amazon Studios with Johan Renck attached to direct and executive produce. The post-apocalyptic tale explores a world blinded by a meteor shower, which is a precursor to the invasion of the triffids — tall venomous, carnivorous plants, who start killing the rest of the population. (Deadline)
Netflix has ordered a yet-to-be-titled comedy series led by Kristen Bell and created by Erin Foster. The show’s official logline describes the program as, “A comedy centered on the unlikely relationship between an irreverent, outspoken, agnostic woman and an unconventional rabbi.”
David Beckham will introduce Apple TV+’s new three-part sports documentary series Real Madrid: Until The End. The series steps onto the field and (for the first time ever) goes behind the scenes with the iconic football club for a look at their astonishing 2021–2022 season. Fueled by their fervent fans, they defy the odds and skeptics on their way to one of the most memorable finishes in football history, culminating in a record 14th Champions League title. The program will debut to the platform on March 10.
Daisy Ridley will lead and executive produce Amazon Studios’ adaptation of Tanen Jones’s book The Better Liar. The story follows a woman who hires a lookalike to claim her sister’s shared inheritance; a move that exposes a web of dangerous secrets. (Deadline)
Amazon Studios is developing limited series Assume Nothing, inspired by Tanya Selvaratnam’s memoir, produced by and potentially starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The story explores the fallout from her terrifying relationship with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman — a self-proclaimed advocate for women’s rights and prosecutor of Harvey Weinstein — whose career crumbled after Selvaratnam went public with her experience. (Deadline)
Starz has picked up Three Women, the 10-episode drama series that was originally slated to air on Showtime. The program is based on the No. 1 New York Times bestselling book from acclaimed author and the show creator Lisa Taddeo. Described as “an intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire that finds three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives,” the series stars Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin, DeWanda Wise, Gabrielle Creevy, Blair Underwood, and John Patrick Amedori.
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is developing an untitled Western series at Amazon. According to sources via Variety, the series will “revolve around a former outlaw who must reckon with a threat from his past in order to keep the life and family he has worked so hard to build.”
(Photo by Netflix)
A new play inspired by Netflix’s Stranger Things is getting ready to hit the stage later this year. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is based on an original story hailing from the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and series writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry.
Rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon, the play will take audiences back to Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy … and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow will have it’s world premiere in late 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End.
“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” the Duffers said in a statement. “Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won’t – it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!”
Priority access to tickets will be given to fans who register at strangerthingsonstage.com.
Further ticket information, on-sale details, performance schedule, full creative team and casting will be announced at a later date.
