JUST FOR VARIETY

Back in April, James Gunn told me what he was looking for in the new Man of Steel for “Superman: Legacy.” “The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he’s also an alien,” he said. “It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.” He added, “We have some really great choices, which I’m excited about.” Could former “The Bold and the Beautiful” star Pierson Fodé (1) be on Gunn’s list? I hear that the 31-year-old actor is in the running for the coveted role. Sources tell me that Fodé sent in a self-tape, which included a montage of footage showing his very Clark Kent-like childhood on a farm in the small town of Moses Lake, Wash. I’m told Gunn liked what he saw. Fodé has some superhero cred Sup… — he appeared in a 2020 episode of “ergirl.” It’s no secret that Peter Dinklage (2) can be quite intimidating. But I’m happy to report that he was anything but on the set of “The Thicket,” the crime thriller he stars in and also produces. “He’s a jokester. He’s a big comedian,” co-star Leslie Grace (3) tells me. “He’s so witty, and his character in this is funny as well.” Dinklage also consistently checked in with the cast. “We shot in very, very cold weather,” Grace says. “He was always making sure everyone was good. He was like, ‘Are your toes freezing? Do you need more warmers? Are you going to fall off your horse? s… Do you need a different saddle?’ Making ure everyone was good was his top priority.” Zooey Deschanel (4) didn’t need to do much training to play an aerobics instructor in the third and final season of “Physical.” She plays Kelly, a former sitcom star who jumps into the fitness industry and becomes a rival to Rose Byrne’s Sheila. “I loved aerobics classes,” Deschanel told me at the launch of her Max series “What Am I Eating?” “I would stand in the front, and people thought I was teaching the class. Someone would try to ask me a question, … and I’d be like, ‘No, I’m not the teacher. I just know all the routines.’” You’d think CBS would have jumped at the chance to snag Carol Burnett’s (5) “90 Years of Laughter + Love” birthday special. Not only did the comedy legend’s variety show run on the network for 11 seasons, but so did its 50th anniversary special in 2017. “We first went to CBS, but they passed,” Burnett told me at an FYC event for the birthday special. “I did my show with them and all my specials, so naturally we went to them.” Fortunately, NBC bought the special, and it went on to score an impressive 7.6 million viewers. It’s now favored to pick up an Emmy nomination. “NBC couldn’t have been greater,” she said. “They’ve been so supportive.” As for what Burnett is watching these days? She’s a big “The White Lotus” fan. Like many, she was shocked by the fate of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) at the end of Season 2: “I was like, ‘No, they’re not going to kill her?!’” Dear Mike White: Carol Burnett next season as Tanya’s mom? Just sayin’.