Industry News: Kelly Clarkson, Tony Awards, Chadwick Boseman + More!

KELLY CLARKSON TO REPLACE ELLEN: NBC stations announced Wednesday (May 26th) that The Kelly Clarkson show will take over the current slot held by The Ellen DeGeneres Show by Fall 2022. Currently in its second season, The Kelly Clarkson Show has been renewed for an additional two seasons, through 2023. DeGeneres’s show will conclude in 2022, at the end of Season 19.

As reported by Deadline, Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Local said, “We look forward to Ellen DeGeneres’ 19th season paired with Kelly Clarkson for what is sure to be a blockbuster year. By 2022, The Kelly Clarkson Show will be the star of our daytime entertainment schedules and an asset to our early afternoon newscasts.”

EVIL DEAD SEQUEL TO PREMIERE ON HBO MAX: New Line will produce a sequel to The Evil Dead for HBO Max. According to Deadline, Evil Dead Rise will be written and directed by Lee Cronin and star Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan. The film also reunites the original 1981 filmmaking team. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell will serve as Executive Producers and Robert Tapert will produce.

TONY AWARD TO AIR IN SEPTEMBER: The 2019-2020 Tony Awards will air on Sunday, September 26th. The event will be split between CBS and it’s sister streaming service Paramount+. While the bulk of the awards will be given out on the streamer, starting at 7 p.m. ET that night, CBS will air a “two-hour live concert event” at 9p.m. ET.

The prime-time special, The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! Will feature performances from the three Best Musical nominees and include the live presentation of Best Play, Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical.

DANNY MCBRIDE DEVELOPING GARBAGE PAIL KIDS SERIES: Danny McBride has a Garbage Pail Kids animated series in the works for HBO Max. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is inspired by McBride and his Rough House Pictures production partner David Gordon Green’s love for the popular 1980s trading cards and Saturday morning cartoons. The expectation is that the series will be family-friendly.

'FIREFLY LANE' GETS A SECOND SEASON: Firefly Lane has been renewed by Netflix. The Katherine Heigl-Sarah Chalke drama will return for it’s second season in 2022. The two stars celebrated with a virtual “cheers” in a fan Q&A session posted on YouTube Wednesday (May 26th).

HOWARD UNIVERSITY TO NAME COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AFTER CHADWICK BOSEMAN: Yesterday (May 26th), Howard University announced that the newly reestablished College of Fine Arts will be named after Chadwick Boseman. Boseman's wife Simone Ledward-Boseman said in a statement, “Chad was a very proud Bison — both Howard and Ms. Rashad played integral roles in his journey as an artist. The re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts brings this part of his story full-circle and ensures that his legacy will continue to inspire young storytellers for years to come.”

Boseman graduated from Howard in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.