Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here is the entertainment news for the past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Good Cop has been cancelled by Netflix after one season. (Variety)

Bosch has been given a season 6 renewal by Amazon. (Variety)

ABC has renewed Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a 7th season before the show’s 6th season is even set to air in early 2019. The surprising (or not) news is that actor Clark Gregg is not listed as a cast member for the 7th season. Roh, roh! (Variety)

PICK UP ORDERS

Netflix has landed the directorial debut The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). The film will be based on the best-selling book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer that follows 13-year-old boy William who finds a way to save his village in Malawi from famine. (Variety)

Working Title and Netflix are developing a new version of Rebecca, the 1938 gothic thriller by Daphne du Maurier that follows a young woman who comes to live with her new wealthy husband in his estate on the coast of England and finds herself struggling to fight against the legacy of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, a mysterious and beautiful woman whose influence continues to haunt the house and its denizens. Cinderella star Lily James and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. alum Armie Hammer will star in the lead roles. (Entertainment Weekly)

CASTING NEWS

Actor Hugh Grant will star opposite Nicole Kidman in the upcoming HBO limited series The Undoing, based on the book You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The 6-episode series centers on Grace Sachs (Kidman), who is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. She’s a successful therapist, has a devoted husband, Jonathan (Grant), and young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. Overnight a chasm opens in her life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself. Jonathan is described as an acclaimed pediatric oncologist, devoted husband to Grace and doting father, whose past undergoes scrutiny when he suddenly disappears, leading to a chain of terrible revelations. (Variety)

More cast members have joined next summer’s new season of Veronica Mars that will air on Hulu. Actor Clifton Collins Jr. (Westworld) and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash and Counterpart) and actress Isabela Vidovic (The Fosters) will have recurring roles in the much anticipated return of the fan favorite. In the revival, spring breakers are getting murdered in Neptune, thereby decimating the seaside town’s lifeblood tourist industry. After Mars Investigations is hired by the parents of one of the victims to find their son’s killer, Veronica (Kristin Bell) is drawn into an epic mystery that pits the enclave’s wealthy elites, who would rather put an end to the month-long bacchanalia, against a working class that relies on the cash influx that comes with being the West Coast’s answer to Daytona Beach. Collins will play Alonzo, a mid-level hitman for a Mexican cartel. Meanwhile, Vidovic will portray teenaged Matty Ross, who loses the most important person in the world in an act of violence, she isn’t content to wait for justice. She goes after it herself in acts so brazen. And, Simmons will play Clyde Prickett, an ex-con who served 10 years for racketeering, who is now a fixer for Big Dick Casablancas (David Starzyk), the richest real estate developer in the town of Neptune, California. (Entertainment Weekly and Deadline)

Actor Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) will appear as Lex Luthor on Supergirl while actress Hannah James (Mercy Street) and Kate Burton (Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy) will guest star as Nia Nal’s (new series regular Nicole Maines) older sister Maeve and mother respectively. (Deadline and Variety)

Actress Reshma Shetty (Royal Pains) has landed a recurring role on the CBS drama series Instinct that stars Alan Cumming as a former CIA operative who is lured back to his old life when the NYPD needs his help to stop a serial killer. Shetty will play Maya, a glamorous old love of Julian’s (Naveen Andrews), who comes back into his life with a proposal he cannot resist. (Deadline)

Actress Lauren Holly (Motive and NCIS) and actor Benjamin Watson (The L.A. Complex) have landed key recurring roles in the former ABC drama Designated Survivor which was picked up for season 3 by Netflix. The new season will find President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) facing a political reality: campaigning. Holly will play Lynn Harper, the daughter of a renowned Virginia senator, who is married to Mars Harper, Kirkman’s new Chief of Staff. Watson will play Dontae Evans, a mid-20s Digital Officer in the West Wing. (Deadline)

Actor Matt Long (Helix and the recent Hallmark Channel movie Christmas Joy) has landed a major recurring role on Manifest, the new NBC supernatural thriller. He will play Zeke, a mysterious new character whose arrival triggers a new relationship triangle and upends the series’ mythology. (Deadline)

Actor Allen Leech (Downton Abbey and Bohemian Rhapsody) will star opposite actress Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D. and One Tree Hill) in the CBS drama pilot Surveillance, a spy thriller that will center on the head of communications for the NSA Maddy (Bush), a charming operative who finds her loyalties torn between protecting the government’s secrets and her own. Leech will play Mike, Maddy’s husband and an accomplished former CIA operative. (Deadline)

Actor RJ Cyler (Sierra Burgess is a Loser and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) has landed a recurring role on Black Lightning, playing Todd Green, the gangly and awkward tech genius who’s passed over for a research grant. He doesn’t take it well, until he gets an offer to join Tobias Whale (series regular Marvin “Krodon” Jones III). (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

PICK-UPS/CANCELLATIONS

The CW has given Charmed a full season order. (Variety)

ABC has given The Rookie a full season pick up. (Variety)

The Purge has been renewed for a second season by the USA Network. (Variety)

NBC has officially cancelled the drama Reverie after one season. (Variety)

Good Behavior has been cancelled after two seasons by TNT. (Variety)

CASTING NEWS

More cast members have been announced for next summer’s small screen return of Veronica Mars on Hulu. Actress Dawnn Lewis (iZombie and A Different World) will play the recurring role of Marcia Langdon, the new police chief of Neptune. Also, actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve and Barry) will have the recurring role of Nicole, who owns and operates a Neptune nightclub; actor Max Greenfield (New Girl and The Neighborhood) will reprise his role of Leo D’Amato and actor Patton Oswalt (Happy!) will play the recurring role of Penn Epner, the best pizza delivery guy in Neptune. (TV Line and Deadline)

Actor Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) has joined the cast of The Good Fight in the role of Roland Blum, a brilliant, charismatic and Machiavellian lawyer. The third season is set to premiere in early 2019 on CBS All Access. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actors Jeremy Irvine (Mamma Mia 2) and Brian J. Smith (Sense8 and Stargate Universe) will star in the Jason Bourne spy thriller spin-off series Treadstone set to air on the USA Network. The series will explore the origin story and present-day action of the covert program that uses behavior modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly superhuman assassins. Irvine will star as J. Randolph Bentley, a spy dispatched by the CIA to eliminate a key target but who ends up embroiled in an international conspiracy. Smith will play Doug McKenna, an all-American oil-rig worker whose life changes after he discovers long-buried truths about himself. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone) and Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and actor Kyle Bornheimer (Casual) will star in Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones, an episode of Netflix’s upcoming 8-episode anthology series showcasing the stories, memories and inspirations behind Parton’s most beloved songs. These Old Bones will be set in the 1940s, focusing on a determined D.C. lawyer who returns to her small Smoky Mountain hometown to prove herself professionally when a mysterious old mountain woman, who locals believe to be a fortune teller, threatens a lumber company’s business. What results is a test of faith along with shocking secrets from the past. Turner will play Miss Mary Shaw, aka Old Bones; Goodwin will play Genevieve; and Bornheimer will play Landon. All eight episodes will launch at once in 2019. (Deadline)

Actress Anna Paquin (True Blood and the X-Men franchise) has landed a series regular role in the 5th and final season of The Affair, which will introduce a flash-forward storyline. The season will center on Alison and Cole’s now-adult daughter Joanie Lockhart (Paquin), who returns some years in the future to a climate-change ravaged Montauk to piece together the truth about what happened to her mother and bringing the whole story full circle. (Deadline)

Actor Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes and Reverie) will have a recurring role on the new NBC medical drama New Amsterdam, playing a new doctor at the hospital. (Deadline and TV Line)

Actor Ian Harding (Pretty Little Liars) will appear in multiple episodes of Chicago Med, playing Phillip Davis, a man facing a medical crisis which bonds him with Dr. Manning (series regular Torrey DeVitto. (TV Line)

Actor James Wolk (Tell Me a Story) has joined the cast of the HBO adaptation of Watchmen, based on the cult classic Alan Moore comic book, which is set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws. The new series embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own. Wolk will play a junior senator from Oklahoma. The series is slated for a 2019 premiere. (TV Line)

UPCOMING MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Lifetime is planning a contemporary spin on the literary classic Pride and Prejudice that will star Jackee Harry (Sister, Sister), Tiffany Hines (Being Mary Jane), Reginald VelJohnson (Family Matters), Victoria Roswell (The Young and the Restless) and Keshia Knight Pulliam (The Cosby Show) [among others]. This present-day story will be set in Atlanta, Georgia as a church-based drama. The network has also ordered the movie Very Valentine, based on the Adriana Trigiani Valentine Trilogy books that follows a family-owned shoe store in Greenwich Village on the brink of financial collapse that will star Kelen Coleman (Big Little Lies) and veteran actress Jacqueline Bisset. (TV Line)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for the past week:

RENEWALS/SERIES PICK-UP

CBS All Access has given a second season order to the streaming series Strange Angel. (Variety)

BBC America has given the greenlight for the new scripted series The Watch based on the popular Discworld novels by author Sir Terry Pratchett. The 8-episode series is a punk rock thriller inspired by the legendary ‘City Watch’ subset of the novels, centering on misfit cops as they fight to save a ramshackle city of normalized wrongness, from both the past and future in a perilous quest. (Press Release)

CASTING NEWS

FOX has announced the cast of the next upcoming live musical Rent. Recording artist Tinashe will play Mimi Marquez, a dancer who struggles with addiction and catches the eye of musician and recovering addict Roger, who will be played by Brennin Hunt (Nashville and X-Factor contestant). Meanwhile Singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher (Hamilton) will play Mark, Roger’s filmmaker roommate and best friend and Vanessa Hudgens (Grease: Live and High School Musical franchise) will play Maureen Johnson, a performance artist and Mark’s ex-girlfriend. Also, Kiersey Clemons (Extant and Eye Candy) will play Joanne Jefferson, an Ivy League-educated lawyer and Tony Award winner Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar Live) will play Tom Collins, a computer scientist who returns to New York after being expelled from MIT. There he meets and falls in love with Angel Dumont Schunard, a young drag queen and street percussionist, who will be played by Valentina from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Additionally, R&B and pop star Mario (Empire) will play Benjamin Coffin III, Mark and Roger’s former roommate-turned-landlord and Mimi’s ex who has married wealthy and now wants to gentrify the building in which he once lived. Lastly, Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) will perform and join the ensemble in the live musical. (Variety)

Actress Jaime Murray (Dexter, Defiance and Warehouse 13) has landed a key recurring role in the 5th and final season of Gotham, playing Theresa Walker, who emerges as Jim Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) principal nemesis in the season. She comes to Gotham harboring a dark secret about her past. (Deadline)

Actress Naomi Watts will star in the Game of Thrones prequel pilot at HBO that will take place thousands of years before the events of the original series. Actor Josh Whitehouse (Poldark) will also have a lead role in the prequel pilot. Character details are being kept under wraps, though. (Variety and Deadline)

Actress Kristine Froseth (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) and actor Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire) have landed the lead roles in the Hulu limited series Looking for Alaska. The 8-episode series, based on John Green novel centers on Miles “Pudge” Halter (Plummer), a teenager from Florida who enrolls at a prestigious boarding school in Alabama hoping to find a deeper perspective on life. He discovers that Culver Creek Academy isn’t that different from his old high school, except for the clique of outcasts that instantly accepts him. The group includes Alaska Young (Froseth), who is mercurial, unpredictable and instantly attractive to Miles. She’s also hiding a troubled past, and when she dies unexpectedly, Miles and his friends try to make sense of what happened. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Netflix has a new anthology series based on the music of Dolly Parton. The 8-episdoe series Heartstrings will feature a different cast and be based on a different song by the country music superstar. The first episode – based on the classic song Jolene – will star Julianne Hough (Grease Live and Footloose) will play the title character, a flirtatious free spirit who wants to escape her hometown of Coventry, Ga. and become a singer-songwriter. The cast will include Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Nashville) as Emily, a mother and wife starting a new chapter in life, who gets pulled into Jolene’s orbit while Dallas Roberts (Insatiable) will play Aaron, a loving husband and father on the verge of a midlife crisis. Parton will play Babe, the owner of Baby Blue’s, a honky-tonk known for its scantily clad servers and eclectic crowd. She looks after all her waitresses but feels especially close to Jolene. Heartstrings is set to premiere in 2019. (The Hollywood Reporter)

MOVIE NEWS

Actress Keesha Sharp (FOX’s Lethal Weapon) has picked up rights to 2013 biography America’s Mistress: The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt. Sharp and her husband will develop and produce the project as a feature film, with Sharp in the titular role. Eartha Kitt is best known for playing Catwoman on the 1960s Batman TV series and for singing hits including “C’est si bon” and the ubiquitous holiday tune “Santa, Baby.” (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hi All,

Here are the few news items for this past week:

PICK-UP NEWS

ABC has picked up A Million Little Things for a full season. (Variety)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Emerald Fennell (Call the Midwife) will appear as Camilla Parker Bowles in the third season of The Crown on Netflix. (Entertainment Weekly)

Actress Claudia Black (Stargate: SG-1 and Farscape) will guest on Roswell, New Mexico, the reboot that will air on The CW next year, playing Ann Evans, the adoptive mother of Max and Isobel. (TV Line and The Futon Critic)

BOX OFFICE CASTING NEWS

Actress Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) has landed an as-yet unrevealed role in fourth Avengers movie. (Deadline)

Among the actors who have joined the Mister Rogers movie project that will find Tom Hanks in the lead role. Among those new cast members are Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars) and Sakina Jaffrey (Timeless). (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

PICK-UPS/CANCELLATIONS

Netflix has cancelled Luke Cage after two season. (Variety)

Station 19 has nabbed a full season order for this season on ABC. (Variety)

CBS has given full season orders to both God Friended Me and Magnum P.I. (Variety)

Orange Is the New Black will end with its 7th season, which is set to air on Netflix sometime next year. (Entertainment Weekly)

NBC is currently working on a spin-off to the fantasy drama Grimm. While the new show is currently untitled it will feature many of the same producers as the original show. The series will build off the mythology of the original series and will feature returning fan favorites while also introducing new characters, new dangers and new mysteries. (Variety)

BBC One and Netflix has commissioned the thriller Dracula from Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Inspired by the classic classic novel, the three 90-minute episodes will re-introduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy. In Transylvania in 1897, the blood drinking Count is drawing his plans against Victorian London. And be warned: the dead travel fast. (Deadline)

CASTING NEWS

Actor Ben Lewis, who was introduced in the 7th season premiere of Arrow as William, the grown-up son of Oliver Queen has joined the cast for a season-long arc. (Deadline)

Supergirl will be bringing Lex Luthor to the small screen; however, no official casting announcement has been made yet. (ComicBook.com)

Actresses Claire Coffee (Grimm) and Debbie Allen (Grey’s Anatomy) will both guest star in an upcoming episode of S.W.A.T. Coffee will play Kira, who is dating Chris (Lina Esco). Allen will play Hondo’s (Shemar Moore) mother Charice. (TV Line)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Luther and Thor alum Idris Elba is expected to appear alongside Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and Taylor Swift in the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Ozark has been renewed for a third season by Netflix. (Variety)

NBC has given New Amsterdam a full season order. It is the first official new drama to be given a full order. (Variety)

FBI has been given a full season order by CBS. (Variety)

The Resident has been given a full second season order by FOX. (Variety)

Netflix has cancelled the Marvel superhero drama Iron Fist after two seasons. (Deadline and TV Line)

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

The CW has picked up the second season of both Burden of Truth and The Outpost for next summer. The network also acquired the British action drama Bulletproof for this summer. The series stars Noel Clarke (Doctor Who) and Ashley Walters (Top Boy) as Bishop and Pike, two undercover cops who chase down hardened criminals in London’s East End. (TV Line)

NEW SHOW PICK-UPS

Actress Emma Roberts will star in Spinning Out, the new 10-episode Netflix drama series set in the world of ice skating. Roberts will play Kat Baker, an up-and-coming, high-level single skater who’s about to turn in her skates after a disastrous fall took her off the competition track. When Kat seizes an opportunity to continue her career as a pair skater with a talented bad-boy partner, she risks exposing a fiercely kept secret that could unravel her entire life. On and off the ice, Kat and her new partner will face daunting odds, injury to body and soul, financial sacrifice, and even potential mental breakdown on their way to realizing their Olympic dream. (Variety)

Another Netflix drama – October Faction – will star J.C. MacKenzie (Dark Angel) and Tamara Taylor (Bones) in the lead roles. The series will follow globetrotting monster hunters Fred and Deloris Allen who, after the death of Fred’s father, return to their hometown in upstate New York with their teenage children. (Deadline and The Futon Critic)

CASTING NEWS

Veteran actor James Cromwell has joined the EPIX drama Berlin Station for its third season, which is set to premiere on December 3. He will appear in the recurring guest role of Gilbert Dorn, a former CIA legend put out to pasture who appears on a podcast revealing information about past missions. (The Futon Critic)

Actor Boris Kodjoe has been promoted to series regular status on Station 19. (Deadline)

Actress Jessica Biel will appear as a public radio journalist hunting down a major mystery in Facebook Watch’s Limetown. The series is based on a fictional podcast of the same name, in which an American Public Radio reporter named Lia Haddock investigates the unexplained disappearance of 300 people at a Tennessee neuroscience research center. (Deadline and TV Line)

Actor Sasha Roiz (Grimm and Caprica) has landed a recurring role on Suits, playing Thomas Kessler, the charming CEO of a high-end furniture design company that has been a longtime client of Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams. When he returns to the firm for help, Donna steps in to assist, but in doing so also catches his eye. (Deadline and TV Line)

Actors David Fumero (Power) and Jordan Rodrigues (The Fosters and the box office Lady Bird) have landed recurring roles in L.A.’s Finest, Spectrum’s 13-episode Bad Boys spin-off series that will star Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. The series will follow Burnett (Union), who last was seen in Miami taking down a drug cartel. She now has left her complicated past behind to become an LAPD detective. Paired with a new partner, Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom with an equally complex past. Fumero will play Lt. Jason Calloway, an LAPD lieutenant with the Narcotics Division. He and Syd had a one-night stand that colors their occasionally adversarial relationship around the office. While Rodrigues will portray Arlo, a menacing figure who always appears cool, calm, and collected. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Mayans, M.C. has been given a second season renewal by FX. (Variety)

Queen of the South have been renewed for a 4th season by the USA Network. (Variety)

Lodge 49 has been given a second season renewal by AMC. (Variety)

The new DC Universe streaming series Titans hasn’t even aired its debut season, but it has received a 2nd season renewal already. (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Netflix is development new series and film projects based on the C.S. Lewis iconic book series The Chronicles of Narnia. (Variety)

TV NEWS

Actor Damon Wayans claims he is leaving the FOX drama Lethal Weapon after finishing production on the 13 episodes ordered by the network for the show’s third season. (Variety and Eurweb.com)

CASTING NEWS

Actor Giancarlo Esposito (Once Upon A Time, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) has joined the cast of the upcoming EPIX drama Godfather of Harlem that tells the true story of crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned after 10 years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. Esposito will play Adam Clayton Powell, a Baptist minister, congressman and a legendary Harlem figure who more than any other New Yorker advanced the cause of civil rights at home and in Washington. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Winston Duke (Black Panther and Person of Interest) is set to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in the Netflix crime film Wonderland, which is being adapted from the novel “Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland” written by Ace Atkins. The story follows Spenser who, fresh out of prison, is sucked back into Boston’s underbelly as he uncovers the truth about a sensational murder and the twisted conspiracy behind it. Duke will play Hawk, Spenser’s close friend and an equally tough, but somewhat shady image of Spenser himself. (Variety)

Actress Gina Gershon will appear as Gladys Jones, the mother of Jughead on Riverdale. (Variety)

Actress Jodi Balfour (The Crown and Bomb Girls) has joined the cast For All Mankind, the previous untitled, upcoming Apple space drama series which explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. Balfour will play pilot Ellen Waverly. (Deadline)

Actress Erika Alexander (Living Single) will appear in 3 episodes of Black Lightning, playing Perenna, a therapist with telepathic abilities that works with Jennifer (China Anne McClain) to help her handle her manifesting powers and the complex bundle of emotions they stir up. (Deadline)

Actor Kyle Schmid (Six) has landed a lead role in the Netflix sci-fi adventure series The I-Land that is set to star Kate Bosworth, Natalie Martinez and Alex Pettyfer. The series will focus on what happens when 10 people wake up on a treacherous island with no memory of who they are or how they got there. They set off on a trek to try to get back home. They soon discover this world is not as it seems. Schmid will play Moses, a bit of a hippie who has a generally laid-back vibe, even in the face of real danger. (Deadline)

Actor Emmett J. Scanlan (Hollyoaks) has landed the iconic role of DC Comics villain Lobo on the 2nd season of the Syfy series Krypton. Lobo is the ruthless bounty hunter who murdered his entire species. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Matt Bomer (White Collar) has been added to the cast of the upcoming DC Comics series Doom Patrol. He will provide the voiceover performance for the character of Negative Man, and will appear as Larry Trainor in flashback scenes. (DC Universe)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actor Noah Centineo (The Fosters and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) has landed a key role in the upcoming box office reboot of Charlie’s Angels, which will star Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the latest Angels as well as Elizabeth Banks as one of the Bosley characters. Centineo will be playing the love interest of one of the Angels. The film will focus on the next generation of Angels working for the mysterious Charlie. The Townsend Agency has grown considerably and gone global, providing security and intelligence services to a wide variety of private clients. The movie hits theater on September 27, 2019. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWAL NEWS

Harlots has been renewed for a third season by Hulu. (The Hollywood Reporter)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Molly Quinn (Castle) will have a recurring role on the upcoming ABC mid-season legal thriller The Fix, co-written and executive-produced by attorney/O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark, that will center on Maya Travis (Robin Tunney from The Mentalist), a Los Angeles DA who suffers a devastating defeat when prosecuting A-list actor Sevvy Johnson (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje from Lost) for double murder. With her high-profile career derailed, she flees for a quieter life in Washington. Eight years later, when Sevvy is under suspicion for another murder, Maya is lured back to the DA’s office for another chance at justice. Quinn will play Lindsay, the murder victim’s sister. (TV Line)

Actress Zoe Kravitz (Big Little Lies and the Divergent franchise) has landed a lead role in the adaptation of High Fidelity, which will air on Disney’s upcoming streaming series. The series received a 10-episode order that will reimagine the story from the female perspective. Kravitz will executive produce in addition to starring, playing the ultimate music fan, a record store owner who’s obsessed with pop culture and Top Five lists. The Disney direct-to-consumer streaming service is scheduled to launch in late 2019. (Variety)

Actor Michael Vartan (Alias and The Arrangement) will guest star in the new CBS drama God Friended Me, which is about an atheist (Brandon Micheal Hall from The Mayor) who is friended by the Almighty on Facebook. Vartan will appear as Cara Bloom’s (series regular Violette Beane) father. (TV Line and Entertainment Weekly)

Actor Teddy Sears (The Flash) will have a recurring role on Chicago Fire, playing Chaplain Kyle Sheffield, who enters Firehouse 51 after the beloved Chaplain Orlovsky (Gordon Clapp) announces his retirement. He has history with new paramedic Emily Foster. (TV Line)

Actor LaMonica Garrett (Designed Survivor and The Last Ship) will appear in the upcoming December crossover event of The CW superhero shows that will have a backdrop concept of Elseworlds. Garrett will play The Monitor, a cosmic character with a singular spot in the eight-decade publication history of DC Comics. The annual crossover will kick off with The Flash on December 9, followed by Arrow on December 10 and ending with Supergirl on December 11. (Deadline)

Actor Billy Lush (Kingdom) and Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will have recurring roles on the 5th season of Bosch on Amazon, which stars Titus Welliver as homicide Detective Harry Bosch. Lush will play Stones, a tough, cold-blooded criminal, heavily involved in the opioid trade while Landau will portray Rita Tedesco, a court reporter living with a secret. (Deadline)

Actress Jennifer Beals (Taken) will have a recurring role in the DC Universe streaming series Swamp Thing, which is set to premiere in 2019. The series will follow Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed from Teen Wolf) as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe. Beals will play Sheriff Lucilia Cable, who is tough as nails and pragmatic. (Deadline)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actor Max Brown (The Royals and The Tudors) has joined the cast Downton Abbey, the upcoming box office movie that will continue the story of the extremely popular PBS series, which is expected to open in September next year. (Deadline)

Actress Karen Gillan (Avengers franchise, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Doctor Who) will join actors Harrison Ford and Dan Stevens in the latest Call of the Wild adaptation of the Jack London famous 1903 adventure novel set during the Klondike Gold Rush. Gillan will play the role of Mercedes. The plot centers on the trek of prospector John Thornton (Ford) across the Canadian Yukon during the gold rush. (Deadline)

Actresses Mary Elizabeth Winstead (BrainDead, Fargo and Mercy Street) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground and Friday Night Lights) will join Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn) in Birds of Prey, the latest DC Entertainment superhero film. Winstead will play Huntress while Smollett-Bell will play Black Canary. (Variety)

SERIES PICK UP

Netflix has given series order to a number of new dramas; two based on romance novels and three sci-fi themed (Variety):

Romance Novels:

Virgin River, based on the book series by Robyn Carr, tells the story of Melinda Monroe, who answers an ad to work as a nurse practitioner in the remote California town of Virgin River thinking it will be the perfect place to start fresh and leave her painful memories behind. But she soon discovers that small-town living isn’t quite as simple as she expected and that she must learn to heal herself before she can truly make Virgin River her home.

Sweet Magnolias, based on the book series by Sherryl Woods, which centers on three South Carolina women, best friends since high school, as they shepherd each other through the complexities of romance, career, and family.

Both shows received 10-episode orders with production set for later this year.

Sci-Fi Themed:

The I-Land focuses on what happens when 10 people wake up on a treacherous island with no memory of who they are or how they got there. They set off on a trek to try to get back home; soon discovering this world is not as it seems. Kate Bosworth will star as KC and serves as a producer on the series. Other cast members will include Natalie Martinez (The Crossing and Under the Dome) will star as Chase and Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four and Magic Mike) will star as Brody. The I-Land received a 7-episode order with Neil LaBute serving as the writer, director, and showrunner.

October Faction, which received a 10-episode order and is based on the IDW comic book series, follows globetrotting monster hunters Fred and Deloris Allen who, after the death of Fred’s father, return to their hometown in upstate New York with their teenage children Geoff and Viv. As the family adjusts, Fred and Deloris must hide their identities as members of a secret organization, and quickly discover that their new small-town setting isn’t as idyllic as it seems. Damian Kindler will be the creator, executive producer, and showrunner.

Warrior Nun, which also received a 10-episode order and is inspired by the manga novels of the same name, revolves around a 19 year-old woman who wakes up in a morgue with a new lease on life and a divine artifact embedded in her back. She discovers she is now part of an ancient order that has been tasked with fighting demons on Earth, and powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her. Simon Barry will be the writer, showrunner, and executive producer.

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Greenleaf has been renewed for a fourth season by OWN. (TV Line)

Dietland has been cancelled after only one season by AMC. (Variety)

POTENTIAL AND NEW SERIES NEWS

Captain America himself Chris Evans will star and executive produce the limited series Defending Jacob, which has been ordered straight-to-series at Apple. The series is based on the 2012 best-selling novel of the same name by William Landay that tells the story of a father whose 14-year-old son is accused of murder. (Variety)

ABC has given a production commitment to a series that will feature female Marvel superheroes from Wonder Woman screenwriter Allan Heinberg. The exact details of the project are being kept under wraps, so there is no word on which character from the Marvel Universe will be featured, though. Should the project move forward, it would be the latest Marvel project to air on ABC. (Deadline and Variety)

Disney is enlisting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as the company prepares to launch its upcoming streaming service. Disney is in early development on an ambitious plan for a number of limited series centered on popular characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These series will likely include shows centered on Loki and the Scarlet Witch, along with other beloved superheroes who have yet to appear in their own standalone movies. The actors who portrayed these heroes and villains in the Avengers films and their spin-offs, such as Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen, are expected to play them in the streaming shows. (Variety)

CASTING NEWS

Actress Brec Bassinger (Nickelodeon’s Bella and the Bulldogs) has landed the title role in the DC Universe streaming series Stargirl, which follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. The series will reimagine Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Actress Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill) will take over for Rebecca Rittenhouse in the series regular role of Keri Allen, in the upcoming Suits spin-off series for the USA Network. Keri is described as a driven, ambitious city attorney serving as unofficial right hand to the mayor. (Deadline and TV Line)

Actor Jeremy Davies (Lost) will appear in The CW crossover event between Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl as John Deegan, a doctor at the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, who just might be crazier than the inmates he treats.  (TV Line)

Actress Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters) has landed a pivotal recurring role on Arrow, playing Maya, a scrappy street fighter and thief from Star City.  (TV Line)

Actress Bellamy Young (Scandal) will be showing up in former Scandal co-star Scott Foley’s new ABC drama Whiskey Cavalier, which will air this mid-season. She will play Karen Pappas, the gorgeous widow of a nefarious Greek shipping magnate who dazzles agent Will Chase (Foley), promising romance, espionage and more. (TV Line)

Actress Kearran Giovanni (Major Crimes) has landed a recurring role on Black Lightning for its upcoming second season, playing Cutter, a smart, proud, tough and beautiful woman more than able to best a man in combat — a mercenary trained by British intelligence. (Deadline)

Actor Rob Benedict (Supernatural) has landed a recurring role on the fifth season of the Amazon drama Bosch, based on the Michael Connelly best-selling novels, which stars Titus Welliver in the lead role. Benedict will play Victor Hansen, a responsible, concerned, doctor who runs a group therapy for addicted vet. (Deadline)

Actress Annie Ilonzeh (Arrow and Person of Interest) has joined the cast of Chicago Fire for its upcoming 7th season. She will play Emily, an intelligent, easy-going and confident new paramedic, who is an effective worker but may have a chip on her shoulder. (Deadline)

Actor JR Bourne (Teen Wolf) has landed a recurring role on The 100, playing Russell, the charismatic and visionary leader of a peaceful society. (TV Line and Entertainment Weekly)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actor Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) will play Tom Clancy’s character John Clark in a new film series from Paramount Pictures. Two movies are being developed based on the book “Rainbow Six” and “Without Remorse.” The latter will be the first film of the two, serving as an origin story for the character. Clark, a.k.a. John Terrence Kelly, is an ex-Navy Seal-turned-operations officer for the CIA. (Variety)

Actor Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and actress Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) will star in the holiday rom-com movie Last Christmas from Universal Pictures. Details on the movie are being kept under wraps and a release date still has to be announced. (The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Netflix has given Insatiable a second season order. (Variety)

Amazon has picked up a second season of the Stana Katic drama Absentia. (The Hollywood Reporter)

CASTING NEWS

Actor Lee Pace (Pushing Daises, Halt and Catch Fire and Guardians of the Galaxy) has been cast in the upcoming second season of the Hong Kong action-drama series Flying Tiger, which follows an elite Hong Kong police officer who is tasked with infiltrating a dangerous criminal organization. The exact details of Pace’s role are being kept under wraps, but it is known he will be playing an American villain on the show. (Variety)

Cassandra Jean Amell – the real-life wife of Arrow star Stephen Amell – will play Nora Fries, the wife of the DC Comics villain Mr. Freeze in the planned December crossover episodes of The CW DC shows. ALSO, actress Elizabeth Tulloch (Grimm) will play Lois Lane in the crossover event, which is set to air on December 9, 10 and 11. (TV Line and The Hollywood Reporter)

Actor Barry Sloane (Revenge and Six) has landed a recurring role in L.A.’s Finest, the 13 episode small screen spin-off from the Bad Boys movie franchise that is planned to air on Charter Communications’ Spectrum cable service, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. The show follows Burnett (Union), who last was seen in Miami taking down a drug cartel. She now has left her complicated past behind to become an LAPD detective. Paired with a new partner, Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom with an equally complex past, Burnett is pushed to examine whether her unapologetic lifestyle might be masking a greater personal secret. These two women don’t agree on much, but they find common ground when it comes to taking on the most dangerous criminals in Los Angeles. Sloane will play Dante, the younger brother of bad guy Ray Sherman (Zach McGowan), with whom he shares a criminal past. Although he is an ex-con trying to turn things around, his big brother keeps getting the two of them mixed up with some dangerous criminals, pulling Dante back into his old, illicit life. The regular cast also includes Ernie Hudson, Zack Gilford, Duane Martin and Ryan McPartlin. (Deadline)

Actor Neal McDonough (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) has landed a recurring role in the 2nd season of the Paramount Network series Yellowstone. He will play Malcolm Beck, a wealthy business mogul who runs an area casino with his brother, Teal. They are power players, down and dirty fighters who know how to work the system to get what they want. (Deadline)

Actor Mykelti Williamson (Justified and Midnight Caller) has landed a recurring role in Lethal Weapon. He will play Tom Barnes, Wesley Cole’s (new cast member Seann William Scott) CIA recruiter. (Deadline)

Actor Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad and The Path) has joined the cast of Westworld, but details on his character are being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

Actress Ilfenesh Hadera (Deception) has landed a lead role opposite Forest Whitaker in the EPIX straight-to-series crime drama Godfather of Harlem that tells the true story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. Hadera will play Mayme Johnson wife of Bumpy (Whitaker). (Deadline)

Actor Shane West (Salem and Nikita) has landed a recurring role in the upcoming 5th and final season of the FOX drama Gotham, playing Eduardo Dorrance, an old Army buddy of Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), who returns to Gotham years later, leading a team of elite soldiers with the goal of helping Gordon restore order to No Man’s Land. But as the scales fall from Gordon’s eyes, he realizes Dorrance’s true intentions in Gotham are much darker and more evil than he could have believed. (Deadline)

Actress Lyndie Greenwood (Sleepy Hollow) has landed a recurring role in the FOX music drama Star, playing Megan Jetter, a lawyer who just set up her own firm back in town. (Deadline)

Actor Xander Berkeley (Nikita and The Walking Dead) will guest star in season 4 of Supergirl, playing Peter Lockwood, the dad of Ben Lockwood (aka Agent Liberty), the anti-alien character that will be introduced in the upcoming season, which will be played by Sam Witwer (Being Human). (TV Line and TV Insider)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Actress Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us) will star opposite Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys in the upcoming box office film You Are My Friend, the movie about one of America’s most beloved childhood icons Fred Rogers. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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