HBO Max Penguin series / GRRM "Thrones" update / More MLB-Apple details / "Strange New Worlds" trailer

Plus today's calendar, "Better Call Saul" S6, Disney's "Polar Bear," MSNBC on Peacock, Tony Awards stream, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network March 10, 2022

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HBO Max formally ordered a series based on Colin Farrell's Penguin character from the Warner Bros. film "The Batman." The latest big-screen Batman adventure has brought in around $300 million at the global box office to date. More: The series will pick up The Penguin's story following the events of the film. Farrell and "The Batman" director Matt Reeves will executive produce; "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." vet Lauren LeFranc will write the series and serve as showrunner. HBO Max had also planned a spin-off series based on "The Batman" about corrupt cops working for the Gotham Police Department, but that project has been shelved. DEADLINE

In a blog post, "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin updated fans about the numerous spin-offs currently in development at HBO. Martin also discussed his continuing progress on the next novel in the "Song of Ice and Fire" franchise, titled "The Winds of Winter." More: According to Martin, a show based on the Dornish warrior-queen Nymeria, titled "Ten Thousand Ships," remains in development, with "Person of Interest" vet Amanda Segel coming on board as showrunner. A series based on the character Corlys Velaryon, a legendary explorer and trader, is also moving forward, under the new title "The Sea Snake"; Bruno Heller ("Rome") is serving as showrunner. "Patriot" creator Steve Conrad is working on another series based on Martin's novellas about the characters "Dunk and Egg." An animated series bound specifically for HBO Max, and set in the China-inspired nation of Yi Ti, also remains in development under the working title "The Golden Empire." Martin disclosed that he's enjoyed footage he's seen so far from the first produced "Game of Thrones" spin-off -- "House of the Dragon" -- which hits HBO and HBO Max later this year. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, MARCH 10 THE MASKED SINGER: The celebrity singing competition series returned to Fox for a 7th season last night; new episodes will hit Hulu on Thursdays. Returning panelists include Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger; Nick Cannon hosts. [Hulu] DOMINO MASTERS: Debut Fox game show in which 16 expert teams of domino enthusiasts face off in a variety of creative toppling and chain reaction-based challenges. Judges include Danica McKellar, Vernon Davis, and professional domino artist Steve Price; Eric Stonestreet hosts. [Hulu] GOOD TROUBLE: The Freeform drama series, a spin-off of "The Fosters," centers on the daily lives of young residents of a Downtown Los Angeles apartment complex. Maia Mitchell, Cierra Ramirez, Tommy Martinez, Emma Hunton, and Sherry Cola co-star. Season 4 debuted last night on Freeform; new episodes will come to Hulu on Thursdays. [Hulu] GHOST ADVENTURES: The paranormal investigation series, in which a team of ghost hunters visits infamously haunted locations, moves from Travel Channel to Discovery+ for its new 25th Season. Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley host. [Discovery+] LAST EXIT: SPACE: Documentary about mankind's efforts to colonize space from producer and narrator Werner Herzog, directed by his son, Rudolph Herzog. The film features the younger Herzog in conversation with innovators, scientists, and engineers working on cutting-edge technology that may allow humanity to one day survive on other worlds. [Discovery+] KUNG FU: The action series -- a remake of the classic '70s show -- stars Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, a young Chinese-American woman who returned as a martial arts expert after spending three years at an isolated Chinese monastery, and uses her abilities to help everyday people in need. Season 2 debuted Wednesday night on CW; new episodes hit the app and website on Thursdays. [CW] DESUS & MERO: The late-night chat series returns for a fourth season, and goes from two episodes a week down to just one. J.D. Amato ("The Problem with Jon Stewart") joined the team for Season 4 as the series' first official showrunner. [Showtime] THAT DIRTY BLACK BAG: Spaghetti Western series from Italian filmmaker Mauro Aragoni about the clash between an incorruptible sheriff with a dark past and a relentless bounty hunter on a violent mission of revenge. The cast includes Douglas Booth, Dominic Cooper, Travis Fimmel, Aidan Gillen, Niv Sultan, and Zoe Boyle. [AMC+] BUST DOWN: Debut absurdist comedy series from creators Chris Redd, Jak Knight, Sam Jay, and Langston Kerman. They also co-star as friends working dead-end jobs at a casino in the Midwest who devise a poorly thought-out plan to improve their financial circumstances. [Peacock] THEODOSIA: Family fantasy-adventure series, based on the books by Robin L. LaFevers, and set in the year 1906. "His Dark Materials" vet Eloise Little stars as the title character, the daughter of two intrepid archaeologists, who joins with her younger brother (Frankie Minchella), a friend (Nana Agyeman-Bediako), and an Egyptian princess (Yasmina El-Abd) to foil a secret society's attempts to exploit Ancient Egyptian dark magic. [HBO Max] + CHEF SPINOFFS: Two international series inspired by the HBO Max cooking show "Selena + Chef" debut on the platform today. "Sandy + Chef" features Brazilian actor and singer Sandy Leah tackling new cuisines from her home kitchen, while "Juanpa + Chef" features Mexican vlogger Juanpa Zurita cooking with the help of remote guest advisors. [HBO Max] THE SEED: Sci-fi horror-comedy from first-time writer/director Sam Walker about a girls' weekend in the Mojave Desert that's interrupted by an alien invasion. The cast includes Lucy Martin, Sophie Vavasseur, and Chelsea Edge. [Shudder] DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: Season 7 of the superhero adventure series -- based on characters from DC Comics -- debuted in October 2021 on The CW and comes to Netflix today. Caity Lotz, Tala Ashe, Jes Macallan, Olivia Swann, Adam Tsekhman, Lisseth Chavez, and Matt Ryan co-star. [Netflix] KARMA'S WORLD: Animated musical series for kids from creator Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, about a 10-year-old aspiring rapper (Asia Bryant) who dreams of changing the world through her music. It's back for a second season. [Netflix] KOTARO LIVES ALONE: Animated comedy-drama series, based on the manga by Mami Tsumura, about an unsuccessful manga artist (Toshiki Masuda) who looks after the lonely five-year-old boy (Rie Kugimiya) living by himself in the apartment next door. [Netflix] LOVE, LIFE & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN: Arabic-language anthology comedy-drama series exploring the complexity of love and relationships from a variety of perspectives. [Netflix] AMERICAN REFUGEE: 2021 horror film, originally released by Epix, about a family seeking shelter in a neighbor's bunker during a national crisis who develop dark suspicions about the survivalist with whom they've holed up. Derek Luke, Erika Alexander, and Sam Trammell co-star. Ali LeRoi ("Everybody Hates Chris") directed. [Hulu and Paramount+] HARINA: Spanish-language crime comedy series from Mexico, spun off from a viral "Backdoor" sketch and co-produced by Amazon and Comedy Central. Guillermo Villegas and Verónica Bravo co-star as police officers hunting a serial killer known as "El Cancelador." [Amazon]

According to Forbes, the new streaming deal between Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) is valued at around $85 million per year over the next seven years. Forbes also reported that MLB reached a separate two-year streaming deal with Comcast's NBC Sports. More: Each year, Apple will pay MLB a $55 million rights fee and a $30 million share of advertising revenue, in exchange for streaming rights to two weekly "Friday Night Baseball" games. Apple secured the option to exit the agremeent after the first or second year. NBC Sports apparently picked up Monday and Wednesday night games that were not already licensed to ESPN; these games will stream on Peacock. NBC Sports' MLB deal is reportedly worth around $30 million annually. FORBES

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"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" NEW TRAILERS THE INFORMANT: Eight-part Cold War spy drama from Hungary, starring Gergely Váradi as a college freshman with a secret: in order to save his brother, he's been tasked by the totalitarian government to report in on his politically active classmates. The series debuts on April 1. [HBO Max] BETTER CALL SAUL: The sixth and final season of the "Breaking Bad" spin-off series will be split into two parts. The first seven episodes debut beginning April 18 on AMC and AMC+, with the final six arriving over the summer. Bob Odenkirk stars as lawyer Jimmy McGill, who is now completing his transformation into crooked cartel functionary Saul Goodman. [AMC+] DISNEYNATURE'S POLAR BEAR: Original nature documentary from the directing duo of Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson (Disneynature's "Penguins"), tracking the daily lives of a mother polar bear and her cubs. Catherine Keener narrates. The film debuts on Earth Day, April 22. [Disney+] STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: The latest "Star Trek" series tracks the adventures of the USS Enterprise in the years after its appearances in "Star Trek: Discovery," but preceding the events of "Star Trek: The Original Series." Anson Mount stars as Captain Christopher Pike; the ensemble also includes Rebecca Romijn as First Officer Una Chin-Riley, Ethan Peck as Spock, and Celia Rose Gooding as a young version of Nyota Uhura. The series arrives on May 5. [Paramount+]

Mike Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough of "Morning Joe" MSNBC will push more of its TV programming to Peacock. The network will also rebrand its streaming home from "The Choice" to the "MSNBC hub on Peacock." More: Shows headed to Peacock include "Morning Joe," "All In with Chris Hayes," and "Deadline: White House," featuring anchor Nicole Wallace. The MSNBC shows will not stream live, but will become available on-demand in the hours after their cable debuts. Several of MSNBC's most popular shows -- including "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" -- were not included in the new plans. The MSNBC content will only be available for paying Peacock subscribers. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

The first hour of this year's Tony Awards ceremony will stream exclusively on Paramount+. The 75th annual event -- which honors the best of Broadway -- will take place on June 12 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. More: The Paramount+ livestream will begin at 7 pm ET; the 3-hour main broadcast will then air on CBS (and also stream on Paramount+) starting at 8 pm ET. This year's ceremony will honor shows that opened between February 20, 2020, and April 28, 2022, a longer-than-usual eligibility window to account for theater closures during the pandemic. Nine new musicals will compete for this year's awards, including "Six," "Girl from the North Country," the Michael Jackson jukebox musical "MJ," and the soon-to-open "A Strange Loop." NEW YORK TIMES

Actor Andre Braugher will join the cast of the Paramount+ legal drama "The Good Fight" as a series regular for its sixth season. Braugher will portray the larger-than-life and bombastic lawyer Ri'Chard Lane, who comes to work with Liz (Audra McDonald) as a new partner.  More: Braugher recently wrapped an eight-season run on the sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"; showrunners Robert and Michelle King also praised his past work on "Men of a Certain Age" and "Homicide" in a statement about his casting. Christine Baranski co-stars in the series, which centers on lawyers working at the fictional firm Reddick & Associates. "The Good Fight" Season 6 debuts on Paramount+ this summer. TV LINE

CASTING UPDATES GOTHAM KNIGHTS: Three actors joined the CW superhero drama pilot, based on characters from DC Comics, in lead roles. Oscar Morgan will play Turner Hayes, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne; Olivia Rose Keegan will play Duela, the daughter of Gotham's most dangerous man, who was born in Arkham Asylum; and Navia Robinson will co-star as idealistic teenager Carrie Kelley, who becomes an unlikely sidekick to Batman. [CW] QUANTUM LEAP: The pilot for NBC's sci-fi reboot added three more actors as series regulars: Nonrisa Lee ("Bosch"), Mason Alexander Park ("Cowboy Bebop") and Caitlin Bassett. The revival series centers on a new team that tries to reassemble Dr. Sam Beckett's original Quantum Leap project. [NBC / Peacock]

QUICK HITS The Path to AI Maturity, provides insights from the C-suite on current levels of AI investment, priorities by stage of AI maturity and more.* "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" and "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" director Marielle Heller signed a first-look deal to develop new series for Paramount Television Studios. Disney+ released a first look at Tom Hanks in costume as Geppetto in Robert Zemeckis' upcoming live-action adaptation of "Pinocchio"; the film arrives in September. CBS renewed a number of reality and unscripted series for additional seasons, including "Survivor," "Amazing Race," "Tough as Nails," and "Secret Celebrity Renovation." Apple TV+ grabbed a feature documentary profiling seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton from filmmaker Matt Kay ("The New York Times Presents"). CNBC "Squawk Box" presenter Andrew Ross Sorkin will host and produce a limited series for NBC News Now, taking a look at "the people, trends, institutions and forces shaping our world." Starz renewed the "Power" spin-off series "Force" -- the third series to emerge from the premium network's hit franchise -- for a second season. Netflix announced a new "Boss Baby" animated series, "Back in the Crib," which serves as a direct sequel to the film "Boss Baby: Back in Business." The classic Canadian teen drama series "Degrassi: The Next Generation" will arrive on HBO Max in its entirety on March 25. Piers Morgan announced a new commentary series -- titled "Piers Morgan Uncensored" -- which will air on TalkTV in the UK and stream on Fox Nation in the US. Netflix unveiled a new slate of 25 French original films and series; the streamer will invest more than $220 million on French productions over the course of 2022. Starz ordered its first German-language original series, the six-part limited series "Night in Paradise," based on the graphic novel by Frank Schmolke; the series centers on an apocalyptic event that happens one night during Oktoberfest in Munich. Indian livestreaming startup Loco, which describes itself as "Twitch for India," raised $42 million in Series A financing. Are you leaving revenue from payments processing on the table? Find out in our guide to payments for software companies.* *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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