An untitled documentary about Grammy-winning artist Lizzo is coming to HBO Max this fall, she announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront on Wednesday, while unveiling the first teaser of the film. The doc will follow the singer, songwriter, rapper, flutist and actor from her humble beginnings to her history-making career in music and culture, as she balances the challenges of stardom.
“Growing up I never dreamed I’d get to experience all of the things I’ve accomplished in my life, and I’m just getting started,” Lizzo said in a statement. “I’m so excited I get to share and relive my journey with my fans and HBO Max. From ‘Cuz I Love You’ to my dramatic world tour, losing and gaining love, and creating my new album ‘Special,’ y’all get to see the amount of time, patience, blood, sweat and tears that went into this process. It takes ten years to become an ‘overnight success,’ and hopefully I can inspire other young creatives to keep going.”
Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, added, “To get the chance to work with someone we have admired and adored for so long is a dream come true. Lizzo’s formidable talent has entertained and inspired millions, and we are ecstatic to help share her incredible journey.”
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The documentary is directed by Doug Pray and produced by Kevin Beisler, Kevin Weaver, Ryan Kroft and Nicole Rocklin. Lizzo is executive producing through her production company Lizzobangers. Pray is also a producer with his producing partner Stephanie Meurer. The documentary is presented by Warner Music Entertainment and Live Nation Productions and is an Atlantic Films production in association with Boardwalk Pictures and Diamond Docs. Len Blavatnik, Julie Greenwald, Craig Kallman, and Charlie Cohen executive produce for Atlantic Films/Warner Music Entertainment; and executive producing for Live Nation Productions is Michael Rapino, Omar Al-Joulani, Lesley Olenik and Chad Wasser. Executive producing for Diamond Docs is Mark Monroe.
Also in today’s TV news:
CASTING
The cast for the new Netflix competition series “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend” has been unveiled by the streamer. A revitalization of the legendary Iron Chef series, the new show features five new Iron Chefs: Curtis Stone, Dominique Crenn, Marcus Samuelsson, Ming Tsai and Gabriela Cámara. Challenger chefs for the eight-episode first season include Mason Hereford, Curtis Duffy, Claudette Zepeda, Esther Choi, Gregory Gourdet, Mei Lin and Yia Vang. Series judges Andrew Zimmern and Nilou Motamed will be joined by guest judges Francis Lam, Nancy Silverton, Justin Willman, Danny Trejo, Lorena Garcia, Loni Love, Wolfgang Puck and Masaharu Morimoto. Previously announced hosts are Alton Brown and Kristen Kish. Mark Dacascos will also return as The Chairman, a role he has played since 2005. “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend” is produced by Keller Productions in association with 3 Ball Productions. Eytan Keller, Daniel Calin and Ross Weintraub serve as executive producers. The series will premiere June 15 exclusively on Netflix.
GREENLIGHTS
TruTV has greenlit 10 episodes of “Semi Pro,” a new reality sitcom from “Jersey Shore” creator SallyAnn Salsano. The series highlights characters from the world of semi-pro football in New York and New Jersey, as they chase their dreams and juggle responsibilities that get in the way. The series showcases the Brooklyn Seminoles, the New York Predators, the New Jersey Sharks, the New Jersey Stags, the New York Patriots and the Tri-State Steelers. “Semi Pro” is executive produced by Salsano and Dave Hamilton for 495 Productions, along with Mike Gross, who also serves as showrunner.
DATES
Season 3 of “City on a Hill,” the crime drama series Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge, has moved its premiere date to July 31, Showtime has announced. The season premiere was initially scheduled to air on July 10, but was pushed due to shifts in Showtime’s programming lineup. Bacon and Hodge lead an ensemble cast which includes Jill Hennessy, Lauren E. Banks and Matthew Del Negro in a crime drama about police and FBI officers navigating the corrupt Boston criminal justice system. Bacon and Hodge executive produce, along with Jennifer Todd, Jorge Zamacona, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Barry Levinson and showrunner Tom Fontana.
TRAILERS
Amazon Prime Video released the trailer for Season 2 of the adult animated comedy series “Fairfax.” All eight episodes of the series will premiere on June 10 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Created and executive produced by Matthew Hausfater, Aaron Buchsbaum, and Teddy Riley, the series follows four middle schoolers looking to make their mark on the world. “Fairfax” stars Skyler Gisondo as Dale, Kiersey Clemons as Derica, Peter S. Kim as Benny and Jaboukie Young-White as Truman. Season 2 guest stars include Billy Porter, Zoey Deutch, Camila Mendes, Rob Delaney, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ben Schwartz, JB Smoove, Tim Simons, Pamela Adlon, Guy Fieri, Annie Murphy, Michael Rooker, Jeff Bottoms, Larry Owens, John Leguizamo, Michaela Dietz, Edi Patterson, Mark Proksch, David Strathairn and Colton Dunn. Additional executive producers include Jon Zimelis and Jason U. Nadler for Serious Business, Peter A. Knight, and Chris Prynoski, Ben Kalina, and Antonio Canobbio for Titmouse. The artist Somehoodlum, who designed the characters for the series, serves as a consulting producer alongside the pop/internet culture clothing and media brand Pizzaslime. Watch the full Season 2 trailer below.
EVENTS
“Capital One’s The Match” will exclusively be presented on TNT starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 1, Turner Sports announced Wednesday. Simulcasts will also be available on TruTV and HLN in the U.S. Fans watching outside the U.S. will be able to watch the event through Warner Bros Discovery sports channels and platforms. Hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas golf course, NFL superstars Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers face Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in this showdown for charity. The live telecast is hosted by Ernie Johnson alongside sports icons Charles Barkley, J.J. Watt, Trevor Immelman and veteran sports reporter Amanda Renner.
PROGRAMMING
CNN unveiled highlights of its new and returning premium nonfiction content for 2022 and 2023 during the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation Wednesday. Three new CNN original series were announced, including “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico,” a food tourism original series; “See it Loud: The History of Black Television”, the working title of a five-part docuseries; and a new installment in the “Decades Series” about the 2010s. “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” will release new episodes from its second season this fall. CNN Films is also developing documentaries, including “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” a film from Julie Cohen and Betsy West about the life and mission of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. “Little Richard: I Am Everything” is the working title of a doc about Little Richard, directed by Lisa Cortés and produced by Bungalow Media and Entertainment in association with Rolling Stone, premiering in 2023. Finally, in 2023 CNN will premiere a still-untitled doc about the rise and fall of the once-viral mobile game show HQ Trivia, directed by Salima Koroma and produced by Left/Right.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Amanda Hennessy has been promoted to vice president at Settebello Entertainment, the company announced today. Previously, Hennessy has served as both a manager and director of talent. She has been with the company since its inception by Byron Ashley in 2018, and has been instrumental in working with many of Settebello’s clients, such as Adrian Bliss, Allison Gilbert, Emily Kron and Kate Hopkins.
