Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Jorge Garcia (Lost) will appear as “The Giant” on Once Upon a Time, but no other details are being released about his storyline. (James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Kimberly Williams- Paisley (According to Jim) will have a multi-episode arc on the new ABC drama Nashville, a “family” soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene that follows one star at her peak (Connie Britton) and one on the rise (Hayden Panettiere). Williams-Paisley will play Peggy Samper, an old flame and former co-worker of Teddy Conrad (Eric Close), husband of Rayna Jaymes (Britton). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars and Copper) will have a recurring role on the new ABC thriller series 666 Park Avenue, which is about a young couple (Dave Annable and Rachael Taylor) who sign up as managers of a mysterious Manhattan building. Thompson will play Laurel Harris, a media consultant with an inside track on New York politics. She entices Henry (Annable) with her contacts, offering to open doors for him, and her presence complicates his relationship with his girlfriend (Taylor). (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actress Laura Vandervoort (Smallville and V) will appear in at least two episodes of the Syfy series Haven, playing a highly intelligent and beautiful woman who has returned to Haven for the latest cycle of Trouble. She is driven to the brink of madness by the loss of a loved one. (Matt Mitovich and Megan Masters at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

NBC has bought a “light” drama that will be executive produced by country star Miranda Lambert. The project is inspired by Lambert’s experience growing up and centers on a couple who run a highly successful detective agency while also trying to raise two teenagers. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

NBC has also bought an as-yet untitled project from Howard Gordon (EP at the Showtime series Homeland) and writer Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) that is being described as a thriller soap set in a world much like ours, where human-looking robots are commonplace. After a routine homicide explodes into the first robot-on-human murder, the lead detective must solve the case and investigate a growing robot rebellion while dealing with the impact on his own fractured family. [NOTE: Does this sound anything like I, Robot? C’mon?!] (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

ONLINE SERIES NEWS

Actress Taylor Schilling (Mercy and The Lucky One) will have the lead in the new Netflix 13-episode hour-long series called Orange Is The New Black from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. The series is based on the book by Piper Kerman and is about Piper (Schilling), an engaged Brooklynite whose decade-old relationship with a drug-runner in college results in her arrest and multi-year detention in a federal penitentiary. Lacking any real-world experience to deal with this harsh new environment, Piper immerses herself in women’s prison culture and finds acceptance, tears, laughter, and love amidst an outspoken group of inmates. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor Michael Keaton will replace Hugh Laurie as the villain in the remake of the box office film RoboCop that will star Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) in the lead role. Keaton will play the CEO of the corporation that builds RoboCop. (The Wrap)

Actor Michael Douglas will portray President Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, a political drama film that spans a three day meeting of peace talks between Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the titular Icelandic city after the nuclear fallout of Chernobyl. (The Hollywood Reporter and First Showing)

Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire) will star in the new feature film called The First, which is about the life of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford. Pitt will play Owen Moore, Pickford’s first husband. (Mike Fleming at Deadline)

Actress Charlize Theron and producer Basil Iwanyk are teaming for a film about recently slain war journalist Marie Colvin, a well-known American war correspondent who covered conflicts in Kosovo, Chechnya, East Timor, Sri Lanka and beyond. No word yet on whether Theron will also act in the lead role in the film, though. (The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE TRAILER

Shia LaBeouf Chases Robert Redford in ‘Company You Keep’ Trailer

That’s it. Enjoy!