Disney+ hits 137.7M subs / "Resident Evil" series trailer / Amazon renews "Upload" / New HBO Max-Cartoon Network series

Plus today's calendar, Amazon's "Totally Killer," Jason Woliner Peacock series, "South Park: Streaming Wars" special, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network May 12, 2022

Disney reported a 23% drop in revenue during Q2 2022 from the same period one year ago, due to the end of streaming license agreements for a number of films and TV shows. The company's $19.2 billion in revenue for the quarter came in around $1 billion below Wall Street's estimates; profits also fell 48% to $470 million. More: Formerly licensed shows that will no longer stream on third-party services but will instead live on Disney+ include Netflix's Marvel Comics adaptations (such as "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones") and the ABC series "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Disney+ added 7.9 million subscribers during the quarter, bringing its overall total to 137.7 million; this topped analysts' expectations and potentially puts Disney+ on a path to overtake Netflix as the top global streaming platform. Hulu added 300,000 subscribers during Q2, bringing its total to 45.6 million; ESPN+ added 1 million new subscribers for 22.3 million total. DEADLINE

Netflix dropped a trailer for the streamer's upcoming live-action series based on the "Resident Evil" video game franchise. The eight-episode first season comes from "Supernatural" vet Andrew Dabb, and debuts on July 14. More: The show cuts between South Africa's New Raccoon City in the present day and London in the year 2036, after the world has been overrun by zombies. Lance Reddick stars as game character Albert Wesker, an Umbrella Corporation executive; Ella Balinska co-stars as his daughter, Jade, who's searching for her missing sister, Billie, in the future. The series co-stars Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, and Paola Nuñez. Netflix released a Japanese animated "Resident Evil" series, subtitled "Infinite Darkness," last year; the two projects are unrelated. POLYGON

DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, MAY 12 HACKS: The Emmy-winning comedy-drama series -- about the unconventional partnership between a legendary stand-up comedian (Jean Smart) and her cynical young joke writer (Hannah Einbinder) -- returns on Thursday for a second season. Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, Ming-Na Wen, and Margaret Cho join the cast this year. [HBO Max] WHO'S BY YOUR SIDE: 10-part thriller series from Taiwan about the complicated, dysfunctional, and sometimes violent marriage between the forgiving and sensitive Yong-jie (Vivian Hsu) and her suspicious, alcoholic husband Zhi-sheng (Kaiser Chuang). [HBO Max] À LA CARTE: Debut romantic comedy-drama series starring Pauline Dyer as an overachieving Black millennial who finally meets the man of her dreams (Courtney Burrell), only to discover that he's already spoken for. First timer Breanna Hogan created the series and wrote multiple episodes; Meagan Good executive produced. [ALLBLK] ITALIAN STUDIES: 2022 indie drama from writer/director Adam Leon ("Tramps"), starring Vanessa Kirby as a confused writer with no memory who befriends a group of teens while wandering the streets of Manhattan. Simon Brickner, Annika Wahlsten, Annabel Hoffman, Maya Hawke, and Fred Hechinger co-star. [Hulu] JAILHOUSE REDEMPTION: Four-part docuseries profiling Chesterfield County, Virginia, Sheriff Karl Leonard and examining the heroin recovery program he created to aid inmates serving time at local jails. [Discovery+] MAVERIX: Debut YA drama series from Australia, which airs on the country's ABC Me network, about a group of six young motocross riders who are selected to attend an exclusive training academy in the dirtbike racing mecca of Alice Springs, where they compete for a spot on a pro racing team. [Netflix] SAVAGE BEAUTY: Drama series from South Africa, starring Rosemary Zimu as a woman with a mysterious past, on a secret mission of revenge, who ingratiates herself within a wealthy family of beauty moguls. The cast also includes Nthathi Moshesh, Dumisani Mbebe, and Nambitha Ben-Mazwi. [Netflix] THE SADNESS (KU BEI): 2021 Mandarin-language horror film from Taiwan, about a young couple desperately attempting to escape a plague that turns ordinary people into deranged, homicidal sadists. Canadian writer/director Rob Jabbaz makes his feature debut with the film. [Shudder]

Amazon renewed the satirical sci-fi comedy series "Upload" for a third season. The show comes from "The Office" vet Greg Daniels. More: "Upload" takes place in the near-future, when dying humans can opt to upload their consciousness into a virtual afterlife. Robbie Amell ("The Flash") stars as a computer programmer who finds himself living in the costly afterlife simulator known as Lakeview, where he falls in love with his customer service representative (Andy Allo). Both Amell and Allo are expected to return for Season 3; the cast also includes Kevin Bigley, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Owen Daniels, Andrea Rosen, and Josh Banday. TV LINE

Miya Cech and Peyton List HBO Max and Cartoon Network greenlit several live-action projects aimed at younger viewers and families. The new slate includes two specials based on Mattel's "American Girl" franchise. More: The first "American Girl" special will center on Corrine Tan, the first American Girl "Doll of the Year" of Chinese descent; her series will debut in December 2022 on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. Miya Cech will star as 13-year-old ace skier Corinne, who's navigating her parents' recent divorce while raising a rambunctious puppy. The two-part HBO Max special "B-Loved" stars Peyton List as a teenage ghost who befriends a young man after he moves into the home she's been haunting for a century. Other projects include the musical comedy series "Home Sweet Rome" from "That's So Raven" vet Michael Poryes; an adaptation of co-author Henry Winkler's semi-autobiographical "Hank Zipzer" books; and a series based on the "My Babysitter's a Vampire" YA franchise. VARIETY

Holt, Shipka, Bowen, and Park Production started this week on the new horror-comedy film "Totally Killer" from Amazon and Blumhouse Television. The series stars "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" vet Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a teen who time travels back to the 1980s to save her mom from a vicious slasher known as The Sweet Sixteen Killer. More: Julie Bowen and Olivia Holt co-star as Jamie's mom at different ages; Kelcey Mawema and Randall Park will also make appearances. Nahnatchka Khan ("Always Be My Maybe") directs; the script comes from the trio of Jen D'Angelo ("Young Rock"), David Matalon, and Sasha Perl-Raver. The film is the latest project to emerge from Amazon and Blumhouse's overall deal, which was first signed back in 2019. DEADLINE

Peacock ordered a first season for a new series from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" director Jason Woliner. No plot details were released, but the project is apparently similar to "Borat," and will combine "fact and fiction to tell a bizarre and incredible tale." More: Woliner has apparently been working on the project for more than a decade. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg will executive produce through their company, Point Grey Pictures, as part of their overall deal with Lionsgate; Megan Ellison of Annapurna is also onboard. Lionsgate Television head of scripted development Scott Herbst called the project "one of the most bizarre, out-of-the-box shows I've ever worked on." VARIETY

The next "South Park" Paramount+ special -- titled "The Streaming Wars" -- arrives on June 1. This will be the third Paramount+-exclusive episode of the long-running animated satirical comedy series, following 2021's "Post Covid" and "Post Covid: The Return of Covid." More: The new special centers on an epic battle of wills between young Eric Cartman and his mother, Liane. As part of a reportedly $900 million deal with ViacomCBS, "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone agreed to bring 14 original "South Park" specials to the Paramount+ network. The series continues to air on cable's Comedy Central and has been renewed through Season 30. TV LINE

"Bad Education" The BBC added $12 million to its budget for new comedy projects over the next few years. Director Jon Petrie told Deadline that the network is searching for "high-impact material that represents the whole of the UK." More: Specifically, Petrie said the BBC is looking for new shows similar to Stephen Merchant's "The Outlaws," Rose Matafeo's "Starstruck," and Daisy Haggard's "Back to Life." All three of those shows were co-produced with US streamers: "The Outlaws" streams here on Amazon, "Starstruck" airs on HBO, and "Back to Life" was a collaboration with Showtime. At this year's inaugural BBC Comedy Festival in Newcastle, Petrie and his team will unveil several new projects, including a revival of Jack Whitehall's "Bad Education"; new seasons of "The Cleaner," "Jerk," and "Guilt"; and a new "Detectorists" special featuring returning stars Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS The Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report has been a trusted source for trend reporting in VC, investment banking, and more since 2009. Claim your 2022 edition here!* NBC ordered a first season for the sitcom "Lopez vs. Lopez," starring comedian Goerge Lopez alongside his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez. CBS canceled the Chuck Lorre-produced comedy series "United States of Al" after two seasons. "Anatomy of a Scandal" vet Hannah Dodd will take over the role of Francesca Bridgerton in the third season of Netflix's "Bridgerton," replacing departing actor Ruby Stokes.  Netflix released some images from the upcoming fourth season of the romantic drama series "Virgin River," arriving on July 20. A recorded version of the Off-Broadway production "Trevor: The Musical" hits Disney+ on June 24; Holden William Hagelberger stars as a 13-year-old on a "turbulent journey of self-discovery." Apple's head of film marketing strategy, JP Richards, resigned on Wednesday after around a year and a half with the company. June's ATX TV Festival will close with a panel dedicated to HBO's "Westworld," featuring co-creator Lisa Joy, writer Alison Schapker, and stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, and Angela Sarafyan. Skydance TV announced development on a new limited series based on Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical "Cinderella," from executive producer Jennifer Lopez and "Baby-Sitters Club" vet Rachel Shukert; this is the first of several new projects from Concord Originals, based on their deep library of classic musicals. Brett Weitz's role as general manager of TNT, TBS, and TruTV was eliminated this week by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery; Kathleen Finch will take over management of the cable networks. Same old marketing automation not cutting it these days? Get our eBook and power up your customer experiences.* *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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