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05:00 - Dear White People - Nia Long to Recur in Netflix Series
Nia Long is headed to Netflix. The actress has joined the streaming giant's Dear White People TV series in a recurring role, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Based on Justin Simien's 2014 crowdfunded movie, the series centers on a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college where racial tensions are often swept under the rug. The series is a send-up of "post-racial" America that also touches on a universal story about forging one's own unique path.
Long will play Neika Hobbs, a Winchester University African-American studies professor who is whip-smart and confident but whose pulled-together professional life contrasts a more complicated personal one.
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05:00 - Meaty - FX Developing Comedy from Jessi Klein, Samantha Irby & Abbi Jacobson
Following the breakout success of Pamela Adlon’s Better Things, FX has put in development another female-centric half-hour series. The network has bought comedy Meaty, based on Samantha Irby’s memoir and popular blog B**ches Gotta Eat, from Irby, Inside Amy Schumer head writer Jessi Klein and Broad City co-creator/star Abbi Jacobson.
Co-written by Irby and Klein, Meaty follows Irby through failed relationships, taco feasts, her struggles with Crohn’s disease, poverty, blackness and body image. Irby, Klein and Jacobson executive produce, with Klein serving as showrunner.
Klein, head writer and executive producer of Comedy Central hit Inside Amy Schumer, also has written and served as a consulting producer on Amazon’s Transparent. She recently published her memoir, You’ll Grow Out of It. Jacobson co-created (with Ilana Glazer) and stars in Comedy Central’s Broad City and recently recurred on Bojack Horseman. Her illustrated book Carry This Book will be released in October.
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05:00 - Let the Right One In - Kristine Froseth Cast as the Female Lead in TNT's Vampire Drama Pilot
Kristine Froseth has been cast as the female lead in Jeff Davis’ TNT drama pilot Let the Right One In, based on the best-selling novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Let the Right One In is an eerie drama about Henry, a young boy, long tormented by his classmates, who finds solace in a friendship with a charismatic female vampire, Eli (Froseth), who appears to be near his age. Thin and pale, Eli’s actual age is unknown. Lonely and friendless (for obvious reasons), Eli lands in an apartment building in Vermont, and soon begins a strange friendship with Henry, an equally lonely 16-year-old boy who has no idea what kind of creature he’s dealing with.
Teen Wolf creator Davis wrote the script and serves as executive producer with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios and Simon Oakes of Hammer Films. The pilot is being produced by Tomorrow Studios in association with Turner’s Studio T.
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23:35 - Mogadishu, Minnesota - HBO Casts Elvis Nolasc Amongst Others for HBO Drama Pilot
HBO has set the cast for its drama pilot “Mogadishu, Minnesota,” which hails from executive producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer K’naan Warsame, Variety has learned.
The large ensemble features nine series regulars, mostly made up of newcomers. Among the cast is “American Crime” star Elvis Nolasco, Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede and Somali-born British stand-up comedian Prince Abdi.
“Mogadishu, Minnesota” is a family drama that grapples with what it means to be American, among the Somalis of Minneapolis. Somali Canadian rapper/singer Warsame wrote the pilot and will direct. He serves as executive producer, along with with Bigelow and Carolyn Strauss.
The “Mogadishu, Minnesota” pilot will shoot this October in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ezana Alem will play Sameer, the Somali all-American boy, who is described as a handsome, excellent student who is planning to go away to college with his beautiful girlfriend, Lacy. He is devoted to his parents, yet pressured by their hopes and dreams for him.
Hanad Abdirahman Abdi will play Ali, a bright, likeable young man who is polite and respectful to his family, and loyal to his best friend, Sameer (Alem).
Selam Tadese will play Bisbaas, a renowned gangster with a friendly laugh and a surprising violent streak. Beloved by his nephew Ali (Abdirahman Abdi), he returns to the neighborhood after years of banishment by his sister and brother.
Rif Hutton will play Afrah, Sameer’s (Alem) father, a former professor in Somalia who works at a rental car company since immigrating to the United States, and is preparing to take the American citizenship test. His experience has given him a detached wisdom and a wry sense of humor.
Prince Abdi will play Big Man, a spliff-smoking petty thug, who takes care of his blind grandmother. He has filled the void left by Bisbaas’s (Tadese) banishment and is now threatened by his return.
Elvis Nolasco will play Liban, Ali’s (Abdirahman Abdi) uncle and proud owner of Liban’s Classy Hookah. He’s an upright citizen who prizes the family’s reputation above all else. He is not pleased when his brother, Bisbaas (Tadese), returns to town. Nolasco is repped by APA and Silver Lining Entertainment.
Yusra Warsama will play Hawo, Sameer’s (Alem) mother who is a hard-working and loving parent. She holds fast to traditional Somali family values, which often conflict with the agenda of an American teenager.
K.C. Collins will play Jamal, who is described as street-wise, mysterious and handsome with an effortless charisma. He fashions himself after revolutionaries and tries to live his life by the book.
Liya Kebede will play Maryam, Ali’s (Abdirahman Abdi) mother who is strong-willed, vivacious and is the glue holding her family together. She is deeply troubled by her quarreling brothers.
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23:30 - Eleven Little Indians - Animated Comedy Series in Development at FOX from M. Night Shyamalan
Supernatural horror guru M. Night Shyamalan is taking a stab at comedy.
Fox has bought a script for “Eleven Little Indians,” an animated comedy series, hailing from Shyamalan and scribe Alex Carter, a writer/producer from “Family Guy,” Variety has learned exclusively.
“Eleven Little Indians” examines three branches of a large Indian family — one has achieved the American dream; another has just arrived in the U.S. wide-eyed; and the third has gone off the rails.
Both Shyamalan and Carter will serve as executive producers, along with Ashwin Rajan, who run’s Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures. 20th Century Fox Television is the studio.
For Shyamalan, the project marks a break into comedy. Largely known for supernatural films, such as “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs” and “The Village,” one of his first screenplays was the family comedy “Stuart Little.” In more recent years, Shyamalan has turned to television, and “Eleven Little Indians” is his second Fox project, following the network’s summer drama “Wayward Pines” on which he’s an executive producer. He’s also producing TNT’s revamped “Tales From the Crypt” series and is curating the cabler’s upcoming 2017 horror programming block.
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23:10 - MOVIES: Murder on the Orient Express - Johnny Depp to Star
EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Depp is in talks to star for director Kenneth Branagh in the Murder On The Orient Express remake. This comes after Angelina Jolie stepped out. The pic is moving fast: Depp will star with Branagh, who’ll play detective Hercule Poirot in a script that Blade Runner 2 scribe Michael Green adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel. Steve Asbell overseeing the production for Fox.
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23:05 - MOVIES: Murder on the Orient Express - Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Michael Pena, Judi Dench Join Cast
Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Michael Pena and Judi Dench have tickets on Fox's Murder on the Orient Express.
The studio has enlisted a cavalcade of A-listers for its ensemble adaptation of Agatha Christie’s acclaimed mystery novel that is being directed by Kenneth Branagh.
The story centers around a murder onboard the famous train and introduces Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who must solve the case while being surrounded by duplicitous passengers.
Branagh is doing double duty by also starring as detective Hercule Poirot and leads a cast that includes Johnny Depp, who will play Ratchett, the man who is murdered; Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., who is playing Dr. Arbuthnot; and Tom Bateman, who will play the Frenchman Bouc. Lucy Boynton and Derek Jacobi round out the cast.
Pfeiffer will play Mrs. Hubbard, a glamorous and opinionated passenger with a secret.
Ridley will play Mary Debenham, a working-class woman in love with Arbuthnot.
Dench will play Princess Dragomiroff, who hails from Russian royalty, while Pena appears as a Cuban passenger named Marquez.
"Christie's Murder is mysterious, compelling and unsettling," said Branagh. "I'm honored to have this fantastic group of actors bring these dark materials to life for a new audience."
Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, Mark Gordon and Branagh are producing the movie, which begins production in London in November. Michael Schaefer, Aditya Sood and Judy Hofflund will also produce.
Michael Green (Blade Runner sequel) wrote the script. Steve Asbell is overseeing for Fox.
"It is always thrilling for us to see the stellar casting that Agatha Christie film adaptations attract," said James Prichard of Agatha Christie Ltd., who is executive producing with Hilary Strong.
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23:00 - The Legend of Master Legend - Shea Whigham and Dawnn Lewis to Co-Star in Amazon Pilot
Boardwalk Empire alum Shea Whigham and Dawnn Lewis (Major Crimes) have been tapped for co-starring roles opposite John Hawkes in the Amazon comedy pilot The Legend of Master Legend, directed by James Ponsoldt.
Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster based on Joshuah Bearman’s Rolling Stone article about real-life superheroes, the project centers on Master Legend (Hawkes), a man who tries to defend justice and defeat wrongdoers on the Las Vegas Strip.
Whigham will play Master Legend’s (Hawkes) thug of a brother Peanut Head, fresh out of jail. Lewis will portray Tana, the ex-wife and oldest friend of Master Legend (Hawkes), a hard working, no-nonsense woman who is continually caught between her love for Master Legend and his unwavering compulsion for justice.
Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster are executive producing with Bearman. Shooting begins next month.
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06:35 - Monsters of God - Garret Dillahunt to Star in TNT's Post-Civil War Drama Pilot
Garret Dillahunt is set as the lead in Rod Lurie’s post-Civil War drama pilot Monsters of God for TNT, from Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. The project reunites Dillahunt with Plan B after co-starring in the company’s Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.
In Monsters of God, written and to be directed by Lurie, savagery and violence are the cornerstones of Colonel “Terrible” Bill Lancaster (Dillahunt)’s holy war against the Comanche in post-Civil War Texas. Despite the peaceful co-existence between the Comanche and local townspeople, Lancaster sets out on a quest to kill off every single member of the tribe, bringing chaos to the town of Slater.
Vicious, relentless, and a tower of a man, Colonel “Terrible” Bill Lancaster is the newly in-charge leader at Fort Thayer, a military base in Texas that exists to make peace with the nearby Comanche tribe. A fighter for the North in the Civil War, Lancaster’s morals stopped there; he now focuses on the total extermination of the Comanche, a goal in contrast to his orders.
Lurie executive produces with his partner at Battle Plan Productions, Marc Frydman, and Plan B’s DeDe Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Sarah Esberg.
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06:35 - Dear White People - Jemar Michael to Recur in Netflix Series
Jemar Michael (Dear White People movie) is set for a recurring role in Dear White People, Netflix’s upcoming comedy series based on Justin Simien’s acclaimed film. Set among a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college where racial tensions are often swept under the rug, the series, produced by Lionsgate, is a send up of “post-racial” America that also weaves a universal story about forging one’s own unique path. Michael will play Al, an exuberant, ethnically ambiguous student leader of the Black American Forum (Black AF) — a more radical rival to Winchester’s Black Student Union. Michael, repped by Authentic Talent & Literary Management, first appeared in a small role in the 2014 film Dear White People. This will be his television debut.
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06:30 - The Handmaid's Tale - Amanda Brugel to Recur in Hulu Original Series
Amanda Brugel (Room) has booked a recurring role opposite Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the upcoming straight-to-series drama based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. The series from MGM Television tells the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world.
Brugel will play Rita, the Waterfords’ (Fiennes and Strahovski) housekeeper. Brugel will next be seen in Eyewitness on USA Network. She appeared in Oscar-nominated Room and recurred on Orphan Black. She’s repped by Authentic Talent & Literary Management and Parent Management.
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06:30 - The Mindy Project - Acquired By VH1 & Freeform In Syndication
NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution today announced cable syndication deals with VH1 and Freeform for the first five seasons of The Mindy Project. The Universal TV-produced show will begin airing on both networks in October and episodes will also be available on the VH1 and Freeform apps.
This is an unusual deal since The Mindy Project, which started as a broadcast comedy on Fox, is now a streaming series on Hulu. OTT services more and more are becoming an alternative to traditional off-network deals, as Netflix’s deal for New Girl shows. But because a streaming platform makes a show ubiquitous, with all past episodes easily accessible, it is harder to make the case for cable syndication.
Neither VH1 nor Freeform have deep libraries of off-network series. Freeform’s top acquisition is Gilmore Girls, plus a a couple of comedies, Reba, The Middle and Last Man Standing. VH1’s big-ticket item is the Saturday Night Live library, plus several African American comedies, Girfriends, My Wife and Kids, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Jamie Foxx Show.
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06:30 - MOVIES: Hot Wheels - Justin Lin to Develop, Direct and Produce Feature Film Based on Toy Cars
Justin Lin is revving up Hot Wheels.
The Star Trek Beyond filmmaker has closed a deal to develop, direct and produce, via his Perfect Storm Entertainment, a feature based on popular car toyline from Mattel.
Lin and Perfect Storm will also have an option to co-finance the project.
A Hot Wheels movie has been made, despite iterations being in development since 2003. McG was at one point attached to direct and produce for Columbia before it landed in the garage of Joel Silver and Warners. Legendary picked up the rights in earlier this decade. Simon Crane came on board to direct it in 2013 but the project has been sitting idle since 2014.
Lin’s boarding injects some nitrous oxide into the project; Lin, his partner Troy Craig Poon, and Legendary will begin a search for a writer to take Hot Wheels back to the starting line. The project is in the early development stages and will not be Lin’s next movie.
Hot Wheels is one of the world’s biggest toy brands, with Mattel claiming that it is the best-selling toy in the world, with more than 5 billion toy cars produced since 1968. Mattel creates nine million cars every week and sells 10 every second.
Legendary’s Alex Garcia will oversee for the company.
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06:30 - Outcast - Season 2 - C. Thomas Howell to Recur
C. Thomas Howell (The Amazing Spider-Man) has booked a recurring role on the second season of Outcast, Robert Kirkman’s exorcism drama on Cinemax. From The Walking Dead creator Kirkman, Outcast follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by possession since he was a child. Now an adult, he embarks on a journey to find answers, but what he uncovers could mean the end of life on Earth as we know it. Howell will play a mysterious figure with a dark agenda who comes to Rome. Howell was most recently seen as Paul on TNT’s Animal Kingdom. His other recent TV credits include recurring roles on Stitchers, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and Grimm.
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06:30 - GLOW - Gayle Rankin Joins Netflix Series
Gayle Rankin has been cast in Netflix’s upcoming comedy series “G.L.O.W.,” Variety has learned.
The show, from “Orange Is the New Black” creator Jenji Kohan, is based on the 1980s professional wrestling league Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Rankin will play wrestler Sheila the She Wolf, starring opposite Alison Brie, who was cast in August.
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06:30 - My Bad Parent - Comedy in Development at FOX from John Krasinski
John Krasinski is working his producing chops.
“The Office” alum and new “Jack Ryan” is attached to executive produce “My Bad Parent,” a comedy series that has landed a script plus penalty commitment at Fox, Variety has learned.
From “Family Guy” writer Alex Carter, “My Bad Parent” is inspired by the book and blog of the same name. The show that reminds us we’re not alone in our parenting faux pas follows a blue-collar, loving-but-imperfect family with a point of view that alternates between the blunt working mother and her pubescent son.
Krasinski will exec produce by way of his Sunday Night Productions shingle, along with Carter, Allyson Seeger, Todd Hoffman and Dennis Kim. 20th Century Fox and Storied Media Group are also behind the single-cam comedy.
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21:30 - NCIS - Showrunner Gary Glasberg Dead at 50
OBITUARY FOR GARY GLASBERG, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF “NCIS” AND “NCIS: NEW ORLEANS”
Gary Glasberg, Executive Producer and Showrunner of “NCIS” and Executive Producer and Creator of “NCIS: New Orleans,” passed away in his sleep on Sept. 28 in Los Angeles. He was 50.
Glasberg, known for his creativity, ever-present smile and kindness to all, was adored by his cast, crews and everyone who had the fortune of knowing him.
Glasberg was a devoted family man. He was married for 20 years to television producer and screenwriter, Mimi Schmir. They have two sons, Dash and Eli.
In 2009, Glasberg joined “NCIS” as a Co-Executive Producer and writer. Since 2011, he was the beloved and highly respected Showrunner of “NCIS,” which he led to become the #1 drama in the world and the #1 drama on U.S. television for five consecutive seasons. In 2014, he created the successful spinoff, “NCIS: New Orleans.”
He began his diverse writing career nearly 20 years ago, writing comic books and animation for companies such as Warner Bros., Disney, Nickelodeon, Fox and Hanna-Barbera. His additional television credits include “Shark” and “The Mentalist,” both on the Network, “Crossing Jordan,” “The $treet” and “Bones.”
Glasberg was born in New York City. In addition to his wife and sons, Glasberg is survived by his father, Edwin Glasberg, and his sister, Mindy Glasberg. A memorial service is being planned for later in October. The family kindly requests privacy at this time.
STATEMENT FROM THE “NCIS” CAST AND CREW:
“Gary was our rock, our cheerleader, our team captain. He inspired us with his leadership, his creative instincts and keen insight. ‘NCIS’ will not be the same without him, and each of us will miss his smiling face and unwavering humor, which lifted us every day.”
STATEMENT FROM GLENN GELLER, PRESIDENT, CBS ENTERTAINMENT:
“Today is an overwhelmingly sad day for ‘NCIS,’ CBS and anyone who was blessed to spend time with Gary Glasberg. We have lost a cherished friend, gifted creative voice, respected leader and, most memorably, someone whose warmth and kindness was felt by all around him. Our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to his wife, Mimi, his two sons and all his family and friends.”
STATEMENT FROM DAVID STAPF, PRESIDENT, CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS:
“We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend and colleague Gary Glasberg. He epitomized the word mensch and brought kindness, integrity and class to everything he did. His remarkable talent as a writer and producer was only matched by his ability to connect with people. Gary was a beloved member of our family and we are so honored that he called CBS his home for so many years. Our hearts go out to his wife, Mimi, two sons, his entire family and all those who loved him.”
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16:30 - HBO Renews High Maintenance
HBO RENEWS COMEDY SERIES* HIGH MAINTENANCE*, CREATED BY KATJA BLICHFELD AND BEN SINCLAIR,
FOR SECOND SEASON
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2016 – Following the show’s recent HBO debut, the comedy series HIGH MAINTENANCE has been renewed for a second season, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming.
Providing a glimpse into the homes and routines of eccentric New Yorkers, the show explores the private lives of these unique individuals through a common thread: their weed deliveryman. Ben Sinclair stars as The Guy, whose client base includes a group of characters with neuroses as diverse as the city. HIGH MAINTENANCE was created by Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, who write and direct every episode of the first season, and executive produced by Katja Blichfeld, Ben Sinclair and Russell Gregory.
“The response to the new episodes exceeded all of our expectations,” said Bloys. “Ben and Katja are brilliant, unconventional storytellers and we’re excited to see what they dream up for us in our second season.”
HIGH MAINTENANCE kicked off its six-episode first season Sept. 16 on HBO, debuting new half-hours Fridays at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The first episode was among the top five assets on HBO’s digital platforms in its first week of availability, and has a gross audience of two million viewers to date. The Sept. 23 audience for the second episode was up 6% in comparison to the premiere.
Among the early critical raves, the *Wall Street Journal* hailed HIGH MAINTENANCE as “wry, smart, culturally immediate,” while NewYorker.com said the show has an “expansive warmth that is rare on TV.” The *Boston Globe* called the series “a faceted little gem,” and VanityFair.com described it as “compelling, surprising and intimate.”
HIGH MAINTENANCE is available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals, as are the 19 webisodes that were originally presented on Vimeo.
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01:15 - Supernatural - Episode 12.08 - To Be The Midseason FInale
Thanks to San Summer for the heads up.
Time to tech survey episode 8 today! The mid season finale of #Supernatural #SPNFamily @cw_spn Time to tech survey … https://t.co/vQuhxg8XMO
— Jim Michaels (@TheJimMichaels) September 27, 2016
20:45 - MOVIES: Jumanji - First Look at Nick Jonas
20:45 - MOVIES: Fences - Teaser Trailer feat Denzel Washington and Viola Davis
20:40 - The Path - Season 2 - Eve Plumb to Guest
Here’s the story of a lovely lady EW has learned will be guest starring on Hulu’s The Path. Eve Plumb, who (of course) played Jan Brady on The Brady Bunch will join series regulars Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy, and Michelle Monaghan on the Hulu series for season 2.
As with much of the twists and turn on this show, there’s not a whole lot of information on Plumb’s character, but we do know she’ll be playing Wendy, a deprogrammer hired by a Meyerist member’s parents in an effort to help him leave The Movement. (Place your guess on which member that might be.)
The Path is not scheduled to return till 2017, but you can catch up with season 1 now on Hulu.
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20:40 - MOVIES: Jumanji - Alex Wolff Joins Cast
Dwayne Johnson’s human form has been found.
Alex Wolff, perhaps best known for starring with his brother Nat Wolff in The Naked Brothers Band, has joined the cast of Sony’s high-profile Jumanji sequel.
Wolff will play a boy named Spencer whose avatar in the game is being played by Johnson and named Dr. Smolder Bravestone.
Johnson is starring with Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan in the feature, which recently began production in Hawaii with Jake Kasdan in the director’s chair.
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10:45 - MOVIES: Darkest Minds - Amandla Stenberg to Star in Alexandra Bracken's YA Adapation
In a major coup for a young actor, rising star Amandla Stenberg has nabbed the lead role in Darkest Minds, Fox’s adaptation of the YA trilogy by Alexandra Bracken.
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for helming the Kung Fu Panda movies, is making her live-action directorial debut with the teen sci-fi project that is being produced by Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps banner.
Minds is set after a pandemic kills most of America’s children and teenagers. When some survivors develop various superpowers, they are deemed too dangerous for society, taken from their families and placed inside internment camps.
The first book tells of Ruby Daly, a 16-year-old with telekinetic powers who escapes her camp and joins a group of teens on the run from the government.
Chad Hodge wrote the script.
The casting signals several things, among them is establishing diversity among the leads of a major studio movie. The move follows the casting of mixed-race actress Storm Reid in Disney's adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time directed by Ava DuVernay.
It also highlights the continuing rise of Stenberg, who may be best known for playing the character Rue in The Hunger Games.
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10:45 - The Dark Tower - TV Series Details Revealed by EW; Idris Elba to Appear; Stephen King's Wizard and Glass Being Adapted
In honor of Stephen King’s birthday, the makers of The Dark Tower film are unwrapping their plans for the saga’s companion TV series.
The movie — starring Idris Elba as the gunslinger Roland Deschain, and Matthew McConaughey as the menacing Man in Black — opens on Feb. 17 and explores the hero and villain’s opposing quests to reach an otherworldly tower that connects their apocalyptic realm with ours.
Ever since the film project was first proposed, it came packaged with an unusual idea: a spin-off TV show that would fill in the fantasy epic’s prodigious backstory.
Now, sources at production company MRC and the film’s producer and co-screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, have revealed to EW exclusive details about what they have planned for that series.
EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL
First off, it’s definitely happening.
MRC and Sony Pictures, which is releasing the film, have committed not just to financing a pilot but a full run of between 10 and 13 episodes, depending on how the scripts and story arcs develop. The Dark Tower show will begin shooting in 2017 with plans to premiere it in 2018, ideally around the time the film becomes available on cable or streaming services.
What the producers don’t yet have is a distributor. The darkness of the story rivals that of Game of Thrones, so they will require either a cable or streaming platform (MRC also makes House of Cards for Netflix, so they have a history already.) But MRC is not going to wait for a partner to come aboard before moving forward.
Elba has signed on to appear as older Roland alongside Tom Taylor, 15, who plays Jake Chambers in the film, a boy from present-day New York who harbors a secret, psychic power and is grappling with visions of the tower and the men (and other creatures) who are trying to reach it.
That duo will serve as the framing device for the show’s central story, which takes place many years before the events depicted in the film. Since the series will be Roland’s origin story, a younger actor will be cast to play the aspiring gunslinger as a teenager, back before the realm of Mid-World “moved on” into chaos and bloodshed.
Goldsman will serve as one of the executive producers, along with Jeff Pinkner and Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (who inspired McConaughey’s spiky, crow-feathered hair in the movie.) The film’s director, Nikolaj Arcel, and co-writer, Anders Thomas Jensen, are working on the script for the show and will be executive producers as well, but another showrunner will be hired to oversee day-to-day operations.
McConaughey’s involvement is a possibility, but not locked in. His character, Walter, is a semi-immortal who wields powerful, ancient magic and is a major element of Roland’s origin as a six-shooting knight, but in King’s books this sorcerer often takes on different names and appearances.
So, the character will be in the show, but he may be inhabiting the shape of another actor.
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10:45 - NBC Developing 2 Comedies - AP Bio and Untitled Musician Comedy
NBC has put in development two single-camera comedies from Seth Meyers, Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video and Universal TV. Both are written by writers from Broadway Video-produced NBC late-night shows.
AP Bio, written and executive produced by Saturday Night Live’s Michael Patrick O’Brien, focuses on a former philosophy professor who takes a job teaching AP biology and uses his students to get back at the people in his life who have wronged him. Meyers, Mike Shoemaker and Andrew Singer executive produce.
The project reunites Meyers and O’Brien from their days together on SNL. O’Brien has been a writer on the sketch comedy series since 2009 and did a season-long stint as a featured player before returning to writing on the show.
The second comedy, an untitled project written and co-executive produced by Late Night With Seth Meyers scribe Amber Ruffin, centers on a has-been sibling singing group from the ’80s, who now make ends meet by doing what no musician wants to do – writing jingles and performing their old hits at parties. Meyers executive produces with Shoemaker and Singer.
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10:45 - kRawl - MTV Developing Social Media Thriller Drama
MTV is ready to turn social media on its ear. The Viacom-owned cable network is developing social media thriller kRawl, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The drama is the story of a young woman whose social media account begins showing her posts a day in advance. Now armed with the power to see the future, she finds herself embroiled in a mysterious conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone around her.
The drama hails from John Swetnam (Making Moves, Into the Storm, Step Up: All In) who is teaming with producer Henrik Bastin and Melissa Aouate of Fabrik Entertainment.
Fabrik's credits include Amazon's Bosch as well as FX's Ancillary Justice, which is in the works with Matt Nix; as well as Midnights at USA Network. Its previous works include The Killing, The Comedians and Burn Notice. The company is repped by WME and Jared Levine.
kRawlcomes as MTV is preparing to say farewell to its longest-running drama, Teen Wolf. The younger-skewing cable network has a drama slate that also consists of The Shannara Chronicles as well as Scream, whose future beyond season two has not yet been determined.
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10:45 - Will and Grace - Reunion Special
10:45 - The Sinner - Bill Pullman Joins USA Network's Thriller Pilot
Bill Pullman is headed to USA Network. The Independence Day: Resurgence actor has joined the NBCUniversal cabler's drama pilot The Sinner, which stars Jessica Biel, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Based on Petra Hammesfahr’s best-selling book of the same name, The Sinner centers on a young mother who is overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage and commits a startling and very public act of violence. Even worse, she has no idea why. The incident launches an inverted and utterly surprising crime thriller whose driving force is not the who or the what — but the why. A rogue investigator finds himself obsessed with uncovering the woman's buried motive, and together they travel a harrowing path into the depths of her psyche and the violent secrets hidden in her past.
Pullman will play Harry Ambrose, a sensitive, dogged detective who finds himself disturbed and uniquely fascinated by Cora Tanner (Biel), an ordinary housewife who impulsively, and very publicly, commits a violent crime. Convinced the bare facts of the case conceal something considerably more significant, Ambrose starts to dig deeper into Cora’s life.
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10:45 - Budding Prospect - 1980's Pot Comedy Starring Will Sasso Receives Pilot Order at Amazon
Amazon is joining the hot trend of marijuana-themed shows with Budding Prospect, a 1980s comedy from Bad Santa director Terry Zwigoff, which has tapped Will Sasso as one of the leads.
Written by Melissa Axelrod and to be directed by Zwigoff, Budding Prospect is set in 1983 San Francisco. Three hapless city boys move to the country to grow marijuana. Their expectations of the experience being a back-to-the-land, nurturing adventure in a beautiful rustic setting run up against the harsh truth upon their arrival at “The Summer Camp” – a miserably run-down shanty out in the middle of nowhere, where they are bedeviled by rats, snakes, mosquitoes, and harsh, unfriendly growing conditions, noisy neighbors, dangerous locals, and menacing law enforcement.
Sasso will play one of the three leads, Gesh, a big, unruly guy who is smarter than he seems.
Zwigoff and Axelrod executive produce with Vincent Landay. Joanna Colbert is co-executive produce.
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