Jason Schmidt, Julia Lester and Piper Runge Join Hulu Pilot ‘Chicks’ Starring Ellen Pompeo and Jodie Whittaker; Max Winkler to Direct and Executive Produce

Hulu is moving forward on its untitled pilot titled Chicks, with Deadline reporting that Jason Schmidt, Julia Lester, and Piper Runge have joined the main cast. The pilot stars Ellen Pompeo and Jodie Whittaker, and it is drawing additional high-profile television talent as production ramps up, the report said.

According to Deadline, Schmidt will be among the newly announced main cast members. Schmidt is credited with appearing in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, and the report frames his casting as part of a larger effort to assemble an ensemble around Pompeo and Whittaker’s leads.

Deadline also reports that Julia Lester has joined the pilot’s main cast. Lester previously appeared in The Four Seasons, and the casting announcement positions her as a key addition for the series’ expanded ensemble in Hulu’s development slate.

Piper Runge will likewise join the Chicks pilot as a main cast member, Deadline said. The announcement adds another recognizable performer to a project already centered on two established leads, underscoring how Hulu is using casting to broaden the pilot’s appeal as it heads toward production.

In addition to the cast additions, Deadline reports that Max Winkler will direct and executive produce the pilot. Winkler is identified in the report as someone with experience helming and leading television projects in an executive capacity, and his attachment indicates that the series will draw on established show-running and directing experience for its initial episode.

The report describes Chicks as a Hulu pilot, but it does not provide additional production particulars in the material summarized for publication, such as filming start dates, episode count, or character names for the newly cast performers. With casting and directing roles now announced, those details are expected to follow through industry updates as the project moves deeper into production planning.

For audiences and industry observers, casting updates on a platform pilot can affect expectations about genre blend, ensemble chemistry, and production timelines, even before marketing materials or episode descriptions are released. For Hulu, adding multiple series-ready performers and securing an experienced pilot director and executive producer is part of the early-stage work that shapes how networks and streamers manage risk when moving from development to actual filming.

The next visible step for Chicks will likely be additional casting announcements, character assignments, and more concrete production timelines once the pilot’s development process advances. Until then, the most confirmed information remains the involvement of Pompeo and Whittaker as the pilot’s leads, the addition of Schmidt, Lester, and Runge to the main cast, and Winkler’s role directing and executive producing the premiere episode.