Carson series from David Milch / "Voltron" bidding war / Whitman joins Hulu's "Up Here" / Netflix's "Blonde" rated NC-17

Plus today's calendar, Davis exits CBS legal drama, Iglesias in "I, Chihuahua," "Stranger Things" S4 images, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network March 24, 2022

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star as Johnny Carson in a forthcoming drama series from "Deadwood" creator David Milch. The project -- titled "King of Late Night" -- is currently being shopped around to premium networks and streamers, according to Deadline. More: The series will follow Carson's career from local radio and TV to network game shows to NBC's "The Tonight Show," which joined in 1962 and hosted for 30 years. "Bombshell" vet Jay Roach will direct the series. Prior to "Deadwood," Milch co-created "NYPD Blue"; he also worked on HBO's "Luck" and Season 3 of "True Detective." Roach won Emmys for directing the HBO original films "Recount" and "Game Change"; he's also working on the upcoming Apple TV+ comedy series "High Desert." DEADLINE

A proposed live-action "Voltron" film has ignited a bidding war among multiple streamers and media companies. "Red Notice" vet Rawson Marshall Thurber is attached to co-write and direct the project. More: According to The Hollywood Reporter, bidders for the property include Warner Bros., Universal, and Amazon. Netflix, which produced the animated series "Voltron: Legendary Defender," is apparently not pursuing the new film. The "Voltron" franchise kicked off within the Japanese sci-fi series "Beast King GoLion"; the story centers on a group of five young people who pilot a group of Robot Lion vehicles, which join to form a giant robot known as Voltron. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, MARCH 24 HALO: Sci-fi action series based on the popular video game franchise, set during a 26th Century war between humanity and an alien military alliance known as The Covenant. Pablo Schreiber stars as genetically-engineered supersoldier Master Chief; the cast also includes Natascha McElhone, Yerin Ha, Charlie Murphy, Shabana Azmi, Bokeem Woodbine, and Jen Taylor as the AI construct Cortana. [Paramount+] ONE PERFECT SHOT: Debut docuseries, inspired by the Twitter account of the same name, in which notable filmmakers walk audiences through the development and creation of memorable shots and sequences from their films. Participants include Patty Jenkins, Aaron Sorkin, Kasi Lemmons, Jon M. Chu, Malcolm D. Lee, and Michael Mann; Ava DuVernay hosts and executive produces. [HBO Max] STARSTRUCK: BBC romantic comedy series from writer, creator, and star Rose Matafeo; she plays an everyday New Zealander living in London who rearranges her life and priorities after unknowingly having a one-night stand with a movie star (Nikesh Patel). Emma Sidi co-stars. Season 2 comes to HBO Max in the US today. [HBO Max] TRAFFICKERS: INSIDE THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE: Three-part true-crime docuseries -- produced in a combination of English, Thai, Burmese, and Lao -- that tracks the rise and fall of three infamous drug kingpins from the hotspot known as the "Golden Triangle," which stretches over parts of Thailand, Burma, and China. The series includes interviews with members of the drug lords' inner circles, along with DEA agents and the family members of victims. [HBO Max] QUEEN STARS: First-year reality competition series from Brazil in which a group of drag queens face off in various challenges seeking the elusive "pop crown." Drag queen Pabllo Vittar and singer Luíza Sonza host. [HBO Max] WWE EVIL: Eight-part docuseries from narrator and creator John Cena, profiling some of the greatest villain characters (or "heels") from throughout the history of the WWE circuit. Featured wrestlers include Hulk Hogan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, the Brothers of Destruction, Randy Orton, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, and Roman Reigns. [Peacock] HILLSONG: A MEGACHURCH EXPOSED: Three-part documentary exposé about the megachurch -- which was once the spiritual home of pop star Justin Bieber among other celebrity worshippers -- with a focus on allegations against former pastor Carl Lentz. (In 2020, Lentz was ousted from Hillsong after 10 years for "moral failures.") The series features interviews with former Hillsong members, megachurch experts, and Ranin Karim, the woman whose affair with Lentz led to his downfall. [Discovery+] THE SPINE OF NIGHT: Animated fantasy-horror film for adults, produced using the rotoscoping technique, about a group of heroes from throughout time who join together to defeat an ancient evil that's tied to a sacred plant The voice cast includes Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, and Joe Manganiello. [Shudder] LOVE LIKE THE FALLING PETALS: 2022 romantic drama feature from Japan about an aspiring photographer (Kento Nakajima) who falls for a talented stylist (Honoka Matsumoto) with a rare illness that causes her to age rapidly. [Netflix]

Mae Whitman ("Good Girls") grabbed the lead role in the Hulu musical romantic comedy series "Up Here." The show comes from co-writers Steven Levenson ("Dear Evan Hansen") and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel ("The Carmichael Show"). More: "Frozen" and "WandaVision" duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez will write original songs for the series; "Hamilton" vet Thomas Kail directs. The series centers on a New York couple falling in love in the year 1999, who find themselves plagued by inner turmoil and anxiety. Hulu ordered an eight-episode first season for the series, which will begin production this summer in New York. Prior to her four-season run on "Good Girls," Whitman co-starred on "Parenthood" and "Arrested Development." DEADLINE

The upcoming Netflix film "Blonde" -- which stars Ana de Armas as screen legend Marilyn Monroe -- received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association. The restrictive rating once proved a significant hurdle for theatrically-produced films seeking distribution, but may not matter for a movie that will mainly debut on a streaming platform. More: The film comes from "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" vet Andrew Dominik, and is based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates. The film has been in development for many years; Naomi Watts was attached as far back as 2012, and Dominik first discussed the project with Collider in 2016. Rumors circulated earlier this year that Dominik and Netflix had clashed about the film's mature content, and the potential for an NC-17 rating. COLLIDER

Marcia Gay Harden will replace Geena Davis in an untitled legal drama pilot for CBS. Skylar Astin stars as a private investigator who agrees to take a job alongside his overbearing mother (Harden), a successful attorney. More: No specific word on why Davis exited the project; Deadline reported that she had attended a table read and filmed for a few days. Harden previously starred in the CBS medical drama "Code Black" and has recurring roles on Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show" and Netflix's upcoming comedy series "Uncoupled." DEADLINE

Iglesias and Gutiérrez Netflix greenlit the animated feature "I, Chihuahua," from "Maya and the Three" creator Jorge Gutiérrez. Comedian and actor Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias will star in the film as Chacho, a scrappy wrestling chihuahua who ventures around the world, taking on a string of international animal fighters. More: Gutiérrez co-wrote the film alongside Doug Langdale ("Cleopatra in Space") and Candie Kelty Langdale ("Maya and the Three"). Gutiérrez and Doug Langdale previously collaborated on the 2014 animated film "The Book of Life." Iglesias is one of the most popular touring comedians in the US; he recently became the first stand-up in history to sell out Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. DEADLINE

Netflix released 12 new images from the upcoming fourth season of "Stranger Things." The '80s-set horror series returns with new episodes on May 27, three years after the debut of Season 3. More: Season 4 is split into two halves; "Volume 2" episodes debut on July 1. The action in Season 4 picks up about 6 months after the events of Season 3, and the Battle of Starcourt Mall. "Stranger Things" will end after Season 5, but creators Matt and Ross Duffer have teased that the franchise could continue via sequel or spin-off projects. Main cast members Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, and Natalia Dyer will all return for the new season; newcomers include Eduardo Franco, Joseph Quinn, Mason Dye, Rob Morgan, Amybeth McNulty, and Robert Englund. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

HBO Max added a shuffle button to its desktop app. The new feature allows users to select and play a random episode within a pre-chosen series. More: Currently, the "shuffle" option is available for 45 HBO Max series, including "Adventure Time," "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "ER," "Key and Peele," "Looney Tunes," "Reno 911!," "Selena + Chef," "South Park," and "The Nanny." The feature launched on Tuesday. THE VERGE

QUICK HITS Struggling to hire? Download Checkr and Everee’s State of the Worker Report to learn what drives employees to leave their job and what candidates are looking for in a new role.* Analysts from Cowen & Co. estimated that Netflix could add $1.6 billion in global revenue by cracking down on password sharing worldwide. Gabrielle Union will join Apple TV+'s "Truth Be Told" as a new co-lead for its third season; each season finds true crime podcaster Poppy Scoville (Octavia Spencer) investigating a new case. HBO Max released a trailer for Season 3 of the animated comedy series "Close Enough," from "Regular Show" creator J.G. Quintel; the new episodes arrive on April 7. The Season 1 finale of "The Gilded Age" brought in about 1.6 million viewers across HBO platforms, a 54% increase over the show's January premiere. Margaret Cho, Monique Green, and others joined the cast of the Disney+ teen romantic comedy film "Prom Pact" from director Anya Adams ("Ginny & Georgia"); Peyton Elizabeth Lee stars as a high school senior who's singularly focused on getting into Harvard. Bravo plans to "reboot and recast" the reality series "Real Housewives of New York City," and pair it with a revival series bringing back the franchise's former stars. Apple released an image from "Bad Sisters," the new dark comedy/thriller series from "Catastrophe" vet Sharon Horgan, based on the Belgian series "Clan." Director Barry Levinson's fact-based historical drama "The Survivor" -- starring Ben Foster as boxer and Holocaust survivor Harry Haft -- debuts on April 27 on HBO. Hulu's untitled drama series about the origins of the Chippendales dance troupe (formerly titled "Immigrant") suspended production following a positive COVID test on set. "One Tree Hill" vets Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, and Bethany Joy Lenz spoke to Variety about reuniting on-screen for next week's episode of the CBS medical drama "Good Sam." Founder Shield has re-engineered the insurance experience with seamless digital applications and best-in-class customer service. Make the switch.* *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Jonathan Harris is a writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles.

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