WB axes "Strange Adventures" / Hamm joins "Morning Show" / "Prey" sets Hulu record / Keery, Morris move to "Fargo"

Plus today's calendar, "The Sandman" first weekend views, Apple's Steve Martin profile, Discovery+ "House of Hammer" trailer, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network August 10, 2022

HBO Max canceled plans for a series based on the DC Comics title "Strange Adventures." The series was to be an anthology featuring lesser-known characters from across the DC Universe. More: Filmmaker Kevin Smith, who had been slated to write and direct an episode of the series, made the announcement on his "Hollywood Babble-On" podcast. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the show was not axed as part of the same cost-saving initiative that killed "Batgirl," but had actually been put in turnaround prior to the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger. An HBO Max series based on the DC Comics character Green Lantern appears to still be on track, as does a series featuring Jurnee Smollett's return as Black Canary from the feature film "Birds of Prey." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Jon Hamm signed on for a recurring role on Season 3 of Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show." The "Mad Men" vet will play corporate titan Paul Marks, who attempts to acquire UBA. More: Stars Jennifer Aniston, Billy Crudup, and Reese Witherspoon will all return for the new episodes; the cast also features Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, and Julianna Marguiles. Hamm recently appeared in an ad for Apple TV+, lamenting that he was the sole Hollywood star without their own show on the platform. Hamm also signed on for a lead role in the upcoming fifth season of FX's "Fargo." VARIETY

DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 I AM GROOT: Collection of animated shorts following the child incarnation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character as he explores the galaxy and makes new friends. Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles from the MCU films as Groot and Rocket, respectively. [Disney+] RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE: Outdoors reality series from National Geographic in which Grylls teaches celebrity guests essential survival skills, then sees what they've learned by dropping them alone into the wilderness. Season 1 -- featuring guests Ashton Kutcher, Florence Pugh, Anthony Anderson, and others -- hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] MARVEL STUDIOS LEGENDS: BRUCE BANNER: The latest installment of the mini-documentary series -- which quickly summarizes the history and backstory of notable Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) characters -- centers around Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and his alter-ego, the Hulk. The character appears in the original Disney+ series "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," arriving on August 18. [Disney+] BLUEY: The Australian animated series for young kids centers on a six-year-old puppy named Bluey, who lives with her parents and younger sister. 25 new episodes -- the first half of the show's third season -- come to Disney+ today; they'll also air later this year on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. [Disney+] LOCKE & KEY: The fantasy drama series -- based on the comic books by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez -- returns to Netflix today for a third and final season, in which the Lockes face off against Revolutionary War officer Frederick Gideon (Kevin Durand) over control of Keyhouse. Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Jackson Robert Scott, and Aaron Ashmore co-star. [Netflix] INSTANT DREAM HOME: Debut 8-episode reality series in which a team of home renovation experts and interior designers are given just 24 hours to completely reimagine and transform homes for a group of surprised and delighted families. Danielle Brooks hosts; interior designer Adair Curtis, carpenter Erik Curtis, designer Nick Cutsumpas, and project manager Paige Mobley manage the renovations. [Netflix] INDIAN MATCHMAKING: The reality series profiles Mumbai's premier matchmaker, Sima Taparia, following along as she helps single millennials from around the globe find the perfect spouse, using a combination of traditional methods and personal intuition. Season 2 hits Netflix today. [Netflix] IRON CHEF BRAZIL: Brazilian chefs face off in Kitchen Stadium in this local remake of the iconic culinary reality competition series; Fernanda Souza and Andressa Cabral host. [Netflix] SCHOOL TALES THE SERIES: Anthology horror series from Thailand featuring eight ghost stories, all set in high schools and adapted from popular comics by different filmmakers. [Netflix] BANK ROBBERS: THE LAST GREAT HEIST (LOS LADRONES: LA VERDADERA HISTORIA DEL ROBO DEL SIGLO): True-crime documentary from Argentina looking back at a 2006 heist in which a group of four men made away with millions in gold and jewelry from a Buenos Aires bank, taking 23 hostages along the way. Matías Gueilburt ("Guillermo Villas: Settling the Score") directed. [Netflix] HEARTSONG (GÖNÜL): Romantic comedy from Turkey about a nomadic musician who falls in love with the bride during a chaotic wedding-gone-wrong, thus running afoul of her family. Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, and Bülent Emin Yarar co-star; Soner Caner wrote and directed. [Netflix] PASSWORD: NBC's reboot of the classic game show started life as a segment on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" but has now been expanded into its own series. Fallon and another celebrity guest pair up with contestants, who then try to guess a secret password based on one-word clues. New episodes will air Tuesdays on NBC and hit Hulu and Peacock the following day. [Hulu and Peacock] RESPECT: 2021 biographical musical drama starring Jennifer Hudson as legendary singer Aretha Franklin, charting her life and career from childhood through the recording of her 1972 live album "Amazing Grace." Stage director Liesl Tommy made her feature debut with the film; Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, and Marc Maron co-star. [Paramount+]

According to Hulu, the "Predator" movie prequel "Prey" was the most-viewed original film or series debut in the platform's history in its first three days. Hulu had previously claimed the reality series "The Kardashians," which bowed in April, had its most-watched first weekend ever. More: "Prey" did not receive a theatrical release, and premiered on August 5 exclusively on Hulu in the US. "Prey" also apparently set records on Star+ in Latin America and the Disney+ Star hub in other international territories. The streamer did not release specific viewership numbers for the film. "Prey" is set in the Comanche Nation in the early 18th Century, and features a young warrior (Amber Midthunder) defending her tribe against a deadly alien hunter. VARIETY

Keery, Morris, Moorjani Three actors joined the cast of FX's crime drama series "Fargo" for its upcoming fifth season. Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, and Richa Moorjani all signed on for roles in the anthology series; the Season 5 storyline has not been revealed. More: The new season will star Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and is set in 2019. Keery is best known as Steve Harrington from "Stranger Things" and also appears in the films "Free Guy" and "Spree." Morris starred in the sitcom "New Girl" and the Hulu comedy series "Woke." Moorjani is a regular on Netflix's "Never Have I Ever," which returns for a third season on August 12. VARIETY

"The Sandman" According to Netflix, "The Sandman" was viewed for 69.5 million hours during its first three days of release. Based on Netflix's prior announcements, these are solid though not record-setting numbers for a new series. More: While returning Netflix series tend to get most of their views right away, new series often grow audiences over the course of their first two weeks on the platform. Two other new shows landed in Netflix's US Top 10: "Uncoupled" starring Neil Patrick Harris, and the music docuseries "Trainwreck: Woodstock '99." The Korean legal comedy-drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" held on to the #1 spot for non-English-language series for the fourth week in a row; the series has grown in viewership each week on Netflix based on strong word of mouth. DEADLINE

Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville will direct a two-part documentary for Apple TV+ and A24 about comedian, writer, musician, and actor Steve Martin. Martin will personally participate in the project, which so far is untitled. More: Neville is best known for the films "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and "20 Feet from Stardom," which won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2014. Neville also developed the streaming series "Ugly Delicious," "Abstract: The Art of Design" and "Chelsea Does" for Netflix. Martin published a memoir in 2007 called "Born Standing Up"; another book about his film career, "Number One is Walking," is due out in November. Martin currently stars on the Hulu comedy series "Only Murders in the Building," which he also co-created. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Discovery+ released a trailer for "House of Hammer," a new docuseries looking into the legacy of the wealthy Hammer family and the allegations against actor Armie Hammer. The three-part series debuts on September 2. More: The series chronicles allegations of corruption and abuse against members of five generations of the Hammer family. The family's wealth originates with Armie Hammer's great-grandfather, Armand Hammer, an oil magnate once dubbed "Lenin's chosen capitalist." The series will detail a string of allegations of rape and other actors of violence against Armie Hammer, and features interviews with multiple accusers. Hammer, who starred in films including "The Social Network" and "Death on the Nile," was dropped from several Hollywood projects following the allegations, and is now reportedly selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands. DEADLINE

Amazon dropped a trailer for the Medieval coming-of-age comedy feature "Catherine Called Birdy," from writer/director Lena Dunham. "Game of Thrones" vet Bella Ramsey stars in the film, set in 1290s England, as the titular Lady Catherine. More: The film is based on a 1994 book by author Karen Cushman. The story follows attempts by Lady Catherine's destitute father (Andrew Scott) to marry her off to a wealthy suitor, a process she resists. Dunham, a fan of the book since age 10, feels that despite the historical setting, the story remains relevant for young girls today. "Catherine Called Birdy" opens in select theaters on September 23 and hits Prime Video on October 7. PEOPLE

QUICK HITS Over 3,000 fast-growing companies trust Vanta to automate their security monitoring and get ready for security audits in weeks instead of months.* The documentary feature "Descendant" will hit Netflix on October 21 after premiering at the New York Film Festival; the film takes audiences to "Africatown," a small community in Alabama made up of descendants of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last ship ferrying enslaved Africans to the US. Season 3 of the DC Comics adaptation "Pennyworth" debuts this October on HBO Max with a new title: "Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler." A number of streaming shows will debut during the Toronto International Film Festival's 2022 Primetime program, including the fifth season of "The Handmaid's Tale," Lars von Trier's "The Kingdom Exodus," and "1899," the new series from "Dark" creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. A new streaming channel from the political news website The Hill launched on the Plex platform; the channel features interviews with lawmakers, policy roundtables, local political programs provided by Nexstar Media, and the timely docuseries "Changing America." Stop stressing over ecomm content. Get hundreds of photos, videos, and product reviews ready in just a few weeks. 100% yours to use wherever, forever.* *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 Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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