Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

OWN has renewed Queen Sugar for a fifth season. (Variety)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Liv Tyler will star opposite Rob Lowe in the upcoming 9-1-1 spin-off, that will follow a sophisticated New York fireman (Lowe) named Owen, who, along with his son, relocates to Austin, Texas, and must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in his own life. Tyler will play Chief Paramedic Michelle Blake, the only one who can match wits with Owen in the station. Michelle has an obsession she struggles to control: finding out what happened to her little sister Iris, who disappeared two years ago. (Variety)

Actress Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) has joined the cast of the fourth season of Fargo, but details on who she will play is being kept under wraps. (Variety)

Actress Amanda Peet and actor Christian Slater will star in the 2nd season of the anthology series Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story that will air on the USA Network. The story will span the 60’s to the 80’s through the breakdown of a marriage that was deemed one of “America’s messiest divorces” even before it ended in double homicide. Peet will play the titular character, the perfect California blonde wife and moher married to her handsome college boyfriend Dan (Slater). But after years of sacrifice and suffering while supporting Dan through both medical and law school until he exploded into the San Diego legal community as a superstar, Betty finally enjoyed the fruits of their labors UNTIL Dan hired Linda, a bright, beautiful young woman whom he can happily forget the struggles of his past. (Variety)

Actress Whoopi Goldberg and actors Daniel Sunjata and Alexander Skarsgard have joined the cast of the upcoming CBS All Access adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Stand. They will be joining the already announced James Marsden and Amber Heard. The story shows an apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. Goldberg will play 108-year-old Mother Abigail who will battle villanous Randall Flagg (Skarsgard) while Sunjata will play Cobb, a member of the military. (Variety and TV Line)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

James Gunn, the director of the upcoming The Suicide Squad, has announced the cast for the movie. Returning cast members are Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis with new members including Peter Capaldi, Idris Elba, John Cena, Storm Reid and Taika Waititi. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

CASTING NEWS

Actors Steven Cree (Outlander) and James Purefoy (The Following) have joined the cast of A Discovery of Witches for its second season. Cree will play Gallowglass De Clermont, a vampire and soldier of fortune who is particularly fond of his uncle, Matthew (series lead Matthew Goode) while Purefoy will play Philippe De Clermont, founder of the Congregation, commander of the Knights of Lazarus, mate of Ysabeau, and stepfather to Matthew. (SkyGroup Press Release)

Actor Goran Visnjic and actress Claudia Doumit (both from Timeless) will both have recurring roles in the season two of the Amazon superhero drama The Boys, which revolves around a group of vigilantes known informally as “the Boys” who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty. Visnjic will portray Alistair Adana, the charismatic and shadowy leader of a mysterious church while Doumit will play Victoria Neuman, a young wunderkind congresswoman. (Deadline)

Actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump and CSI: NY) is joining the cast of 13 Reasons Why for the shows fourth and final season, playing Dr. Robert Ellman, a compassionate, incisive, no-nonsense adolescent and family therapist who works to help Clay Jensen (series lead Dylan Minnette) battle anxiety, depression, and grief. Ellman helps guide Clay to accept the help he needs and come to terms with the trauma in his past. Season 4 will focus on the core cast’s graduation from Liberty High. (Variety)

Actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) will play Margaret Thatcher in season four of the Netflix drama The Crown. (FOX News)

Actor Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us) will play daredevil Evel Knievel in the upcoming USA Network limited series entitled Evel, based on the story of the larger-than-life 1970s daredevil as he prepares for his greatest death-defying feat, the historic Snake River Canyon jump. (Variety)

Actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break and Legends of Tomorrow) will have a recurring role on Madam Secretayr for its sixth and final season. He will play a ruthless politician who hates the fact that Elizabeth McCord (series lead Tea Leoni) has been elected President. (TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter and the Avengers franchise) has joined the cast of the next Mission: Impossible film, but there are no details on what character she will play. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey There,

Here are the news items for the past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

The USA Network has renewed Queen of the South for a fifth season. (Variety)

The Lifetime drama American Princess has been cancelled after only one season. (Variety)

NEW SERIES NEWS

Executive producer Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) has taken on her next new project. She will write and executive produce the Netflix series Chasing Hilary, based on the best-selling book by Amy Chozick, which centers on four female journalists who follow every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency but our entire democracy along the way. Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will executive produce. (Variety)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder) will play former First Lady Michelle Obama in a series titled First Ladies, a new series in development at Showtime. The network has given the prospective one-hour drama a three-script commitment, with novelist Aaron Cooley on board to write and executive produce. The series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of First Ladies throughout history, with season one focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama. The series will turn it lens on the East Wing of the White House, as opposed to the West, where many of history’s most impactful and world changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies. (Variety)

Actress Cote de Pablo will appear in four episodes of NCIS when it returns for its 17th season on CBS on September 24. (The Cheat Sheet)

Actress Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) has joined the cast of the upcoming mid-season NBC dramedy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. She will play Joan, the boss of Jane Levy’s (Suburgatory) titular computer coder. The series will follow San Francisco-based Zoey who, after an unusual events, begins hearing the innermost wants and desires of the people around her through songs. She initially questions her own sanity, but soon realizes this unwanted curse may just be an incredibly wonderful gift. (TV Line)

Actor Manu Bennett (Arrow, Spartacus and The Shannara Chronicles) and actress Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Veronica Mars) will be showing on the summer sci-fi series Pandora, airing on The CW. Bennett will play Leone Vokk, an intergalactic bounty hunter sent by the malevolent Parallax Corporation to capture Jax (Priscilla Quintana) and gain the secret of portal technology. But Vokk will need to face off against Jax’s allies, who will sacrifice anything to protect their friend. Carpenter will play a mysterious woman named Laura, who might have all the answers to Jax’s questions about her origins, but who also might be Jax’s most dangerous enemy yet. (ComicBook.com)

Actress Lela Loren (Power) has joined the cast of Netflix futuristic series Altered Carbon. She will play Danica Harlan, the charming and ambitious governor of planet Harlan’s World. She has the support of the people, but keeps an uneasy grip on the political players who surround her. The second season of Altered Carbon will air sometime in 2020. (The Hollywood Reporter)

This Is Us has announced a number of new cast members, who will joining the show’s upcoming fourth season, which will debut on September 24. They include (but are not limited to) Timothy Omundson (Psych), Omar Epps (House and Shooter), Nick Wechsler (Roswell and Revenge) and even director M. Night Shyamalan. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Abby Brammell (9-1-1 and The Unit) will have a recurring role in the upcoming sixth season of the Amazon streaming series Bosch, which stars Titus Welliver as homicide Detective Harry Bosch. She will play Heather Strout, a tough, smart, blue-collar woman who may or may not be mixed up in some of her husband’s issues. (Deadline)

Actress Garcelle Beauvais (The Magicians) has joined the cast of the second season of the CBS All Access fairy-tale drama Tell Me a Story, which will center on a trio of fairy-tale princesses from the classic tales Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beautyand Cinderella. Beauvais will recur as hard-charging businesswoman Veronica Garland, who marries a widower and wastes no time in pushing aside his Cinderella-esque daughter to be played by actress Ashley Madekwe (Revenge).. (Deadline and TV Line)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actor Himesh Patel (Yesterday) will star alongside John David Washington (that would be Denzel’s son) in the box office movie Tenet, an action epic evolving from the world of international espionage. The cast will include Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Kenneth Branagh. (Variety)

Actor Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner franchise) will star alongside Mark Wahlberg and actress Sophie Cookson (Kingsman) in the box office movie Infinite, based on the novel The Reincarnationist Papers by D. Eric Maikranz that centers on the Cognomina, a secret society of people who possess total recall of their past lives. A troubled young man haunted by memories of two past lives stumbles upon the centuries-old society and decides to join their ranks. Ian Shorr is adapting the story for the screen. Details of O’Brien’s role have not been revealed. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Succession has been renewed for a third season by HBO. (TV Line)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Liza Weil (How to Get Away With Murder and Gilmore Girls) will appear in the third season of the streaming series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in a hush-hush role. (TV Line)

Actor Stephen Amell (Arrow) has landed his first post-Arrow gig on the upcoming Starz drama Heels, about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, Heels follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to (and just as hard to leave behind). Amell will star as Jack, the charismatic villain — or heel — of the Duffy Wrestling Association. Outside the ring, he’s its hard-working owner, a husband and father trying to make ends meet while fighting to realize his impossible dreams. He has the mind of an artist in the body of a warrior, and a Steve Jobs-ian need for perfection — and for control. He says he’ll do whatever it takes to build the DWA into an empire. The series has an 8-episode order with the network. (TV Line)

Actor Reggie Lee (Grimm) has landed a recurring role in the upcoming CBS legal drama All Rise, playing Thomas Choi, the new Head Deputy District Attorney in the downtown courthouse and the new boss of DDA Mark Callan (series regular Wilson Bethel). (The Futon Critic and Deadline)

Actor Eddie Cahill (CSI: NY) will appear in a multi-episode arc on NCIS: New Orleans. His as yet named character will have a connection with some trouble that Lasalle’s (series regular Lucas Black) brother Cade finds himself in during the show’s upcoming new season. (Parade and The Futon Critic)

Lost alum Terry O’Quinn will recur on the new ABC drama Emergence, playing Richard Kindred, the head of Augur Industries, a diversified far-reaching tech holding company. He is a self-made billionaire with countless professional and personal casualties in his wake, who will go to great lengths to protect his company and reputation. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actor Brandon Routh and his real-life wife actress Courtney Ford will be leaving The CW series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow during the show’s upcoming 5th season. (Deadline)

Actress Bianca Santos (The Fosters) will have a pivotal recurring role in the upcoming 2nd season of Legacies on The CW, playing Maya, a sharp-tongued and flirtatious new student at Mystic Falls High. (Deadline)

Actor William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) will star in the Amazon streaming series The Underground Railroad, based on the best-selling novel by Colson Whitehead, which tells the story of young slave Cora, who’s an outcast on her Georgia cotton plantation. When she hears about the Underground Railroad and its promise of freedom, she decides to risk her life and escape. Harper will play Royal, a freeborn black man who meets Cora during her journey. The cast includes Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), who will play a slave catcher named Ridgeway. (TV Line and Deadline)

Actor Michael Beach (The 100 and Aquaman) will recur in the upcoming season of Chicago P.D., playing Darius Walker, a Chicago crime boss who’s working to revitalize his African American community. (Deadline)

Actress Yasha Jackson (Blue Bloods) will recur in the 2nd season of Manifest on NBC this fall, playing Suzanne, a dean at Astoria University and ex-girlfriend of Ben Stone (series regular Josh Dallas). (Deadline and TV Line)

Actress Ming-Na Wen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has joined the cast of The Mandalorian that will debut on the new streaming service Disney+. It has not been announced yet who she will be playing, but the series set in the world of Star Wars will star Pedro Pascal as the bounty hunter, gunfighter and native of Mandalore, known in the Star Wars universe as the home planet of bounty hunter Boba Fett and Jango Fett. The cast already includes Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Carl Weathers, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. Disney+ launches on Tuesday, Nov. 12. (Deadline)

Actress Emily VanCamp (Revenge) will reprise her role of Sharon Carter (Peggy Carter’s grand-niece) in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Solider that will star Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the title roles. Also, actor Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49) will play John Walker, who in comic book lore adopts the alter egos of U.S. Agent or Super-Patriot, an adversary to Captain America. Disney+ launches on Tuesday, Nov. 12. (TV Line)

MOVIE NEWS

Actor Chris Pine (Wonder Woman and Star Trek) will star in a movie from Amazon Studios, starring as John Dean, a pivotal figure in the Watergate scandal. The film, which has yet to have a title, will follow the life and political saga of Dean, who served as White House counsel for President Richard Nixon from July 1970 through April 1973. (Variety)

It looks like director Lana Wachowski, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss will be re-entering the Matrix, as a fourth film in the franchise is set to happen. (Variety)

Actress Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) will star in the Netflix superhero movie We Can Be Heroes that will directed by Robert Rodriquez (Spy Kids and Sin City). The film revolves around a group of aliens who invade earth and kidnap its superheroes, leaving it to the heroes’ kids to join forces, rescue their parents, and save the planet on their own. The cast will also include Christian Slater (Mr. Robot), Akira Akbar (Captain Marvel) and Pedro Pascal (Narcos). (The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Rant)

Actor Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) has joined the cast of the upcoming box office movie The Eternals, about an immortal alien race, created by the Celestials, who are sent to Earth to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Harington will play Dane Whitman (also known as the Black Knight). The cast also includes Angelia Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry and Gemma Chan [among others]. (Variety)

It was announced at D23 (the Disney Expo) that actor Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) and actress Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) will provide voices in the animated sequel Frozen II. Brown will voice Lieutenant Matthias while Wood will voice Queen Iduna. (Vital Thrills)

It looks like actor Nathan Fillion (The Rookie, Castle and Firefly) will be joining the cast of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but details on what role he will play are being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

CANCELLATIONS

Syfy has cancelled Krypton after two seasons. (The Hollywood Reporter)

CBS has cancelled Instinct after two seasons. (TV Line)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Actress Awkwafina will star in the fantasy-adventure film The Last Adventure of Constance Verity, that follows Constance Verity who, for mysterious reasons, was thrust into a battle with the supernatural from the moment she was born, and has been saving the world from disaster ever since. She’s exhausted and wants to sample what she has missed out on: a boyfriend, a normal job, best friends. But it’s not easy to walk away from a life of adventure when in fact you are the chosen one. (Variety)

Actors Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad, The Closer and Major Crimes) and Brendan Fehr (Roswell and The Night Shift) will appear alongside Heather Graham, Aaron Eckhart and Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) in the upcoming box office conspiracy thriller Wander that follows Arthur Bretnik (Eckhart), a mentally unstable private investigator, who, after being hired to probe a suspicious death in the town of Wander, becomes convinced the case is linked to the same ‘conspiracy cover up’ that caused the death of his daughter. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

Actor Jason Ritter (Kevin Probably Saves the World) has landed a multi-episode arc on the ABC drama A Million Little Things playing someone with ties to Maggie’s (Allison Miller) mother, Patricia (Melora Hardin). Upon his arrival in Maggie’s life, this stranger will “upend everything.” Chandler Riggs, Drea de Matteo and James Tupper are also set to return, as PJ, Barbara and Andrew. A Million Little Things kicks off Season 2 on September 26. (TV Line)

Actress Kartina Law (Arrow) will join the cast of Hawaii Five-0 this fall, playing Quinn Liu, a former Staff Sergeant with Army CID who was recently demoted for insubordination. After an explosive collision with Five-0 during a case involving veterans, she becomes a loyal ally to the team. Sharp-tongued in several languages, she has a deep understanding of military culture, a mysterious past and a deft ability to match wits with McGarrett. (TV Line)

BET+ (the streaming service from BET Networks) has greenlit the two-hour movie Sacrifice, a legal thriller that will star Paula Patton (Precious) as Daniella Hernandez, an entertainment lawyer navigating the nefarious lives of her rich and famous clients. Erica Ash (In Contempt) will play a powerful DA and sorority sister of Daniella. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Professional wrestler and actress Ronda Rousey will appear in the upcoming season 3 of 9-1-1 on FOX, playing Lena Bosko, a stoic and fearless member of the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 136 who leaps into action to save lives when a disaster hits. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

Actress Keesha Sharp (Lethal Weapon) will have a recurring role in the upcoming 6th and final season of FOX’s drama Empire, playing Dr. Paula Wick, a smart, insightful woman who offers endless compassion but doesn’t take sh*t from anyone. (Deadline)

Actress Sarah Chalke (Scrubs and Roseanne) will star opposite Katherine Heigl (Suits and Grey’s Anatomy) in the upcoming Netflix 10-episode series adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s best-selling book Firefly Lane that centers on two inseparable best friends – legendary talk show host Tully (Heigl) and the awkward and shy Kate (Chalke) – and tracks their enduring, complicated bond over the course of four decades, as they weather career ups and downs, love triangles, marriage and divorce, and countless dramas along the way. Also, actor Ben Lawson (Designated Survivor) will play Kate’s ex-husband Ryan, who also has a long history working with Tully. (TV Line)

Relative newcomer Michael Cimino has landed the lead role in Love, Simon, the forthcoming sequel series at Disney+ based on the box office movie that starred Nick Robinson in the lead role. Robinson will return as the show’s narrator. Set in the world of the film, the series follows Victor (Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation. When it all seems too much, he reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school. Actress Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty, Devious Maids and Whiskey Cavalier) will play Victor’s smart and warm mother, who loves her husband and her family, but is under a lot of pressure as they move their family across the country. (TV Line)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Actresses Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner will headline the upcoming Lifetime movie The College Admissions Scandal, following the story of two wealthy mothers, Caroline (Miller), a sought-after interior designer and Bethany (Kirshner), an owner of a successful financial services firm, who share an obsession with getting their teenagers into the best possible college. When charismatic college admissions consultant Rick Singer (Michael Shanks, Stargate: Atlantis, Saving Hope) offers a side door into the prestigious institutions of their dreams, Caroline and Bethany willingly partake with visions of coveted acceptance letters in their heads. But when Singer cooperates with the FBI and pleads guilty, the mothers who risked everything for their kids, must face the consequences of their crimes and the loss of trust and respect from their families. (Deadline)

Actor George Newbern (Scandal), Phil Morris (Doom Patrol) and Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) have landed supporting roles in the ABC holiday movie Same Time, Next Christmas that will star Glee actress Lea Michele as Olivia Henderson, a young woman who met her childhood sweetheart, Jeff, during her family’s annual Christmas visit to Hawaii. After being separated by distance and years, the two reunite at the same Hawaii resort years later and the old chemistry between them flares up anew – but circumstances conspire to keep them apart. Newbern will play Woody Harrison, Olivia’s father, a laid-back easygoing southern California man who is still deeply in love with Faye, his wife of more than 30 years. Vardalos will portray Faye Henderson, Olivia’s mother, a fit, attractive woman, a vegetarian who does yoga and keeps her husband Woody on a healthy regimen as well. Morris is Alec Cutler, Jeff’s dad, an energetic, funny guy who was widowed early on, made an unfortunate second marriage, and has kept resolutely single ever since. A competitive guy who speaks in amusing sports metaphors. He befriended the Henderson family on his family’s annual Christmas visits to Hawaii. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

CANCELLATION

Netflix has cancelled the drama The OA after two seasons. (TV Line)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Auli’i Cravalho (the voice of Moana) will play the lead role in the ABC live musical The Little Mermaid. Queen Latifah will play the villainous Ursula while Shaggy will play the crab Sebastian. The musical is slated to air on November 5. (Variety)

Actresses Tiffany Haddish and Carmen Ejogo will star alongise Octavia Spencer in the 4-part Netflix limited series Madam CJ Walker, inspired by the book ‘On Her Own Ground’ by A’Lelia Bundles, the great-great granddaughter of Walker. Spencer will play the title character; and the story follows how Walker overcame hostile turn-of-the-century America, rivalries, tumultuous marriages and family challenges to become America’s first black, self-made female millionaire. Haddish will play Lelia, the smart and feisty daughter of Sarah Breedlove (Madam Walker) and her late first husband. Raised by her single, hard-working mother, she is eager to be independent. After falling in love and marrying the feckless John Robinson, she frequently finds herself coming to her husband’s defenses. Meanwhile Ejogo will play Addie, a hairstylist and former friend of Sarah Breedlove. Addie is described as a savvy business woman herself, who parlays her good looks and social standing into a profitable African American hair care business. The cast will also include Blair Underwood. The series is slated to premiere on Netflix in 2020. (Variety)

Actress Alicia Silverstone and actor Mark Feuerstein have landed roles in the Netflix adaptation of the popular The Baby-Sitter’s Club books by Ann M. Martin. Silverstone will star as Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer, the mother of BSC founder Kristy Thomas. Feuerstein will play her love interest, Watson Brewer. The series is expected to be a “contemporary” adaptation of the beloved ’90s teen book series, which centers on Kristy and her four friends — Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer — whose childcare business brings them together as they experience the nuances of adolescence and their individual home lives. Netflix has ordered a 10-episode freshman season. (TV Guide)

Actress Q’orianka Kilcher (The Alienist and cousin of singer-actress Jewel) and actress Jennifer Landon (Animal Kingdom) will have recurring roles in the third season of Yellowstone. [NOTE: The show is currently in its second season.] Kilcher will play Angela Blue Thunder, a Native American and political opponent of Tom Rainwater (Gil Birmingham); she is a woman with pain in her past and unadulterated fury in her present. Convinced that Rainwater’s management of the casino has been a catastrophe, she shows up in his office, ready to punish the world (and Tom Rainwater) for all the things it did to her. Meanwhile, Landon will play Teeter, a new wrangler on the Yellowstone Ranch. Teeter is a snuff dipping, sunbaked, expert wrangler. (Deadline)

Actor Alberto Rosende (Shadowhunters) has landed a recurring role on Chicago Fire, playing Blake Gallo, a young firefighter who loves his job and joins Firehouse 51 as the CFD expands the number of firefighters on second shift. Casey (Jesse Spencer), Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) — impressed with Gallo’s relentless energy — take him under their wings. (Deadline)

Actress Emily Swallow (The Mentliast and Supernatural) has landed a recurring role on SEAL Team, playing Dr. Natalie Pierce, a Research Physiologist working for the NHRC Department of Warfighter Performance who’s assigned to DEVGRU (and Bravo Team) to increase the SEALs’ operational longevity, a job she’s undeniably brilliant at. Brimming with raw intelligence and capability, she’s unintimidated by the ‘alpha male’ environment her role places her in, and totally devoted to her mission of keeping these men on the battlefield. (Deadline)

Colton Haynes will not be back as a regular for the final season of Arrow on The CW. (TV Line and The Futon Critic)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actor Bryan Greenberg (The Mindy Project) and Charles Micahel Davis (The Originals and Younger) will play the male leads opposite actress-singer Lea Michele in the ABC holiday movie Same Time, Next Christmas about Olivia (Michele), a young woman who met her childhood sweetheart (Davis), during her family’s annual Christmas visit to Hawaii. After being separated by distance and years, the two reunite at the same Hawaii resort years later and the old chemistry between them flares up anew – but circumstances conspire to keep them apart. Greenberg will play Gregg Harris, Olivia’s boyfriend, a super fit triathlete, dapper real estate agent who is always angling for the next big deal. He envisions him and Olivia as a super-team in Cincinnati real estate. Davis is Jeff Cutler, a handsome, affable, charming young man — Olivia’s childhood friend and teenage heartthrob from their annual Christmas trips to Hawaii. The movie is slated to premiere in December. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

The CW has announced that The 100 will end after its 7th season, which will air during the 2019-2020 TV season. (TV Line)

Netflix has renewed 13 Reasons Why for its 4th and final season. (Variety)

The Anna Paquin-led series Flack has been given a 2nd season renewal by POP. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Showtime has renewed City On A Hill for a second season. (Variety)

NEW SERIES ANNOUNCEMENTS

Showtime has given a straight-to-series order to American Rust, based on the Phillipp Meyer novel, that is a family drama that will explore the tattered American dream through the eyes of complicated and compromised chief of police Del Harris (Jeff Daniels) in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania. When the woman he truly loves sees her son accused of murder, Harris is forced to decide what he’s willing to do to protect him. (Variety)

CBS All Access has given a series order to a new adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, based on the Walter Tevis sci-fi novel that inspired the 1976 David Bowie film that centered on an alien who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future. (TV Line)

CASTING NEWS

The new HBO series The Nevers, from Joss Whedon, that stars Laura Donnelly (Outlander) has has announced other cast members, including Olivia Williams (Counterpart), James Norton (McMafia), Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons), Ben Chaplin (Cinderella), Eleanor Tomlinson (The White Queen) and Denis O’Hare (True Blood) [among others]. The series is an epic science-fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies and a mission that might change the world. (TV Line)

CBS All Access has set actor James Marsden (Westworld) and actress Amber Heard (Aquaman) to star in the new small screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, which is an apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old other Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Marsden will portray Stu Redman, an ordinary working-class factory man in an extraordinary situation with a damaged quality to him that belies his exterior. Meanwhile, Heard will play Nadine Cross, a deeply conflicted woman who feels the consequences of her actions, but is still compelled by her allegiance to Randall Flagg, the Dark Man. (Variety)

Actor Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) will star opposite Matt Bomer (White Collar) in the USA Network’s anthology series The Sinner when it returns for a third season. Messina will play Nick Haas, a college friend of Jamie (Bomer’s character), a Dorchester resident and expectant father who looks to Det. Harry Ambrose (returning cast member Bill Pullman) for support in the wake of an accident. A surprise visit years later alters the course of their friendship and their lives. A return date for The Sinner has not been announced. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Sam Witwer (Supergirl and Being Human) will appear in The CW’s series Riverdale, playing Mr. Chipping, a creative writing teacher at the Jughead’s (series regular Cole Sprouse) new school. (TV Guide)

Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Keving Probably Saves the World) will take over one of the lead roles in the Netflix adaptation of Sherryl Woods’ romance novels Sweet Magnolias, taking over the role from Monica Potter. The series will center on three South Carolina women who have been best friends since high school, as they shepherd each other through the complexities of romance, career and family. The cast already includes Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva) and Heather Headley (Chicago Med). (Deadline and TV Line)

Actress Azita Ghanizada (Alphas) will recur in the back half of season 2 of Freeform’s Good Trouble, playing Kendra Zahir, a new employee at Speckulate, where Mariana (series regular Cierra Ramirez) works, who arrives to shake up the company culture. (TV Line)

Actress Gal Gadot (Wonder woman) will star in a Showtime limited series about legendary actress Hedy Lamarr. The as-yet-untitled biopic about the famed actress/inventor. Lamarr stood at the forefront of many issues that challenged women and our society. (TV Line)

TV NEWS

A crossover episode between Freeform’s Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and Hulu’s Marvel’s Runaways will happen this fall when Runaways enters its 3rd season. (TV Guide)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »