Small Screen: ‘Man On Fire’ Casts Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sasha Leigh Henry Joins New Metric Media
Lauren Mayo - IMDB
Broadcasting: CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful has cast Lauren Mayo (All American: Homecoming) to play new character Tracey. She will join Don Diamont (The Young and the Restless) and Scott Clifton (One Life to Live) on the soap opera's June 12th episode.
Sal Stowers (All My Children) and Lamon Archey (Can’t Buy My Love) are reprising their roles as couple Lani Price Grant and Eli Grant in Days of Our Lives. Lani and Eli will return to Salem to assist their family member Abe with Paulina's declining health. Archey commented that reprising his role as Eli had to be "for a good cause," especially in regards to characters Paulina, Abe, and their character's children.
Channel 4 has confirmed that UK young writer Theresa Ikoko is no longer a part of her co-created show Dance School. Specific details on her involvement are unavailable, but the show is now solely created by Lisa Holdsworth. This event follows the exit of Caroline Hollick, who headed the TV drama department of Channel 4. The series will explore the lives of dance students' inspired by true stories.
Grey's Anatomy confirmed the return of Jason George (Indivisible) as his recurring character Dr. Ben Warren. In the finale of Station 19, Ben, who became a firefighter after Grey's sixth season, chose to return to his surgeon profession. George will join the medical drama series in its recently approved 21st season.
Disney
Cable: Disney Branded Television has released its list of projects greenlit, sneak peeks, and TV series renewals designed for kids. First on the greenlight list is the animated series Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Moon Girl's Lab, a musical S.T.E.M. shorts series executively produced by Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, and Steve Loter. The series will premiere June 28th on Disney Channel and Disney+. The company also announced the second season premiere of the animated series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, welcoming a new iteration of young Jedis. The second season will debut on August 14th on Disney+. There are also first looks for two of Disney Jrs. upcoming animated TV series一Disney Jr.'s Ariel and Kindergarten: The Musical. Disney Jr.'s Ariel will debut on June 27th on Disney Jr. and Disney+. Kindergarten: The Musical will follow kindergarteners Berti and her classmates in a musical series premiering on Disney Jr. later this year.
AMC has confirmed The Talamasca will premiere in 2025. The series comes from AMC's Rice Immortal Universe franchise and follows the lives of trackers in a secret society locating supernatural beings, such as witches, vampires, and werewolves. Producer Mark Johnson leads the Anne Rice Immortal Universe and is eager to produce another show within the franchise.
“With the second season of Interview with the Vampire currently receiving the best reviews of any show on television and with the production of Mayfair Witches about to wrap in Ireland, promising an even more compelling and unnerving second season, the question is what do we now add to the Immortal Universe of Anne Rice? The answer is a completely different show from the first two, but a show that nevertheless belongs under the Anne Rice umbrella. The Talamasca marries the procedural spy thriller with the supernatural and expands the thrills and the pleasures of our franchise’s ambitions,” Johnson said.
Sol Rodriguez - Steven Simione / Stringer
Streaming: Prime Video's crime series Criminal has cast Aliyah Camacho (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and Michael Mando (Better Call Saul) in recurring roles. Joining other members such as Adria Arjona (Andor), Kadeem Hardison (Invisible Beauty), and Taylor Selé (Queens), Camacho and Mando will play Angie and Jeff, respectively. The series explores connecting crime stories from the Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips graphic novel series of the same name.
Ashley Nicole Black (Black Lady Sketch Show) joins two AppleTV+ series: Shrinking and Bad Monkey. Not only is Black writing for Bad Monkey, but she will be playing Johanna Russell in the investigative comedy. Along with writing on Shrinking, Black will be cast in the restaurant comedy alongside Jessica Williams (Entergalactic) and Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother). This casting comes after Black's 2021 deal with Warner Bros Television to create original series for Warner Bros Discovery platforms.
Netflix's series Man on Fire has cast Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) lead role, John Creasy. Abdul-Mateen will executively produce with director Steven Caple Jr. Man on Fire is a thriller series inspired by A.J. Quinnell's novels about John Creasy’s time as a French Foreign Legion soldier and dealing with PTSD afterward.
Max's superhero series Peacemaker has cast Sol Rodriguez (Picard) in the upcoming second season. Rodriguez will play Sasha Bordeaux, who is an ally of Batman. The season will focus on the new universe written and produced by James Gunn and James Sufran of DC Studios.
Netflix has canceled the animated sci-fi series My Dad the Bounty Hunter. Created by Everett Downing Jr., the series tells the story of two kids finding out their father is a secret space bounty hunter. The main cast includes Yvonne Orji, JeCobi Swain, Laz Alonso, Yvonne Orji, and Priah Ferguson. This decision follows a trend in Netflix's decreased programming for family and children-oriented series.
Prime Video's upcoming series Criminal announced Marvin Jones III and Michael Xavier will join the cast. Alongside them stars Adria Arjona, Kadeem Hardison, and Logan Browning. Jones III is cast as Chester, an unsuspectingly threatening chief enforcer to Sebastian Hyde. Xavier is cast as Terry, a robber in a relationship with Greta (Adria Arjona). The series will explore connected crime stories based on the graphic novel series of the same name.
Eboni Booth will join HBO’s pilot of the once-abandoned spinoff Ten Thousand Ships. The series will focus on Nymeria and Rhoynar and how Nymeria's country will handle living post-ruin. George R.R. Martin, the mind behind Game of Thrones, shared the news on his blog.
“[Eboni Booth]’s an amazingly talented young playwright...she has been kept busy by me and HBO, working on a new pilot for Ten Thousand Ships...we’re all very excited about this one… though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for ten thousand ships, three hundred dragons, and those giant turtles.”
Peacock's series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist has dropped the initial teaser and premiere date. Based on the robbery of Muhammad Ali after his 1970 fight, the series will explore Ali's (played by Dexter Darden) life and the rise of Atlanta as a primarily African-American populated city. The cast features Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Samuel L. Jackson (Damaged), Terrence Howard (Howard), and Sinqua Walls (Mending the Line), to name a few. The limited series will premiere on September 5th, 2024 on Peacock.
Mise En Scene Company (MSC) gained the rights to the series Driven. The scripted series follows the extreme ups and downs of a recently fired animated TV show creator (Rebecca Henderson) and her journey in becoming an uber driver for a Puerto Rican family (Gary Perez and Liza Colón-Zayas). The show is produced by O Positive, and they will partner with MSC to stream the show to the U.S. and U.K.
Netflix has made a multi-year deal with Obama-owned media company Higher Ground. Higher Ground has created series and films such as Leave the World Behind, Bodkin, and more. The company is in production of unscripted series The Later Daters, a dating show, and rom-com film Fling featuring Lupita Nyong'o. Netflix CCO Bela Bajaria expressed her excitement on continuing their partnership with Higher Ground.
“If there’s one thing that’s defined President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s creative ambitions since we started our partnership with Higher Ground, it is their pursuit of an exceptional story that brings the human experience to light.”
Prime Video's drama series House of David has cast Michael Iskander (Kimberly Akimbo), Ali Suliman (Jack Ryan), Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel), and Stephen Lang (Avatar: The Way of Water). Iskander will star as biblical figure David, Suliman, and Zurer will star as King Saul and Queen Ahinoam, respectively, and Lang will play Samuel. The series will follow David in his path to becoming the king of Israel and the fall of King Saul.
Alan Yang - Steven Simione / Stringer
Industry: Sasha Leigh Henry has signed a multi-year first-look deal with New Metric Media. The production company is known for its work with Letterkenny and Henry's Crave series Bria Mack Gets a Life. The series, featuring Malaika Hennie-Hamadi (Creepy Bits) as Bria premiered on Crave in October. After working on Bria Mack, Henry found the experience to be "incredibly bonding" and encouraged to continue the partnership between herself and New Metric Media.
“We’re delighted to expand on our collaboration with Sasha, an exceptionally talented and visionary creator,” said Mark Montefiore, Founder and CEO, New Metric Media.
Alan Yang has agreed on a multi-year partnership with Warner Bros. Television Group to produce exclusive TV projects for the studio. Yang’s experience comes from nearly 20 years working with NBC Universal as a writer, director, and producer for shows such as The Good Place, Forever, Loot, and Parks & Recreation.
Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey discussed the strategy behind rebooting a TV series at the Banff World Media Festival. Aside from denying a Friends reboot, Dungey expressed her interest in reprising previous series' and films, but emphasized the importance of finding reason in an already oversaturated industry.
“You have to think about: why are you doing it? What’s the reason to do a new version? Is there something about the world that has changed in a way that makes tackling it again fresh and interesting?” Dungey said.
United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed with India Amarteifio (Military Wives) as her representation. Amarteifio is more recently known for her role in Netflix's series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a spinoff from Bridgerton character Queen Charlotte played by Golda Rosheuvel. Amarteifio is also represented by Tapestry London and Hamilton Hodell.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) will now represent actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary). Winning an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2022, Ralph became the first black woman in 35 years to be awarded the title. Ralph also stars in musicals such as Wicked, Dreamgirls, and more. Also representing her is Neon Kite, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, Viewpoint PR, and Goodman.
Anarchists United Foundation is partnering with Circle Management and Production's Writers Discovery Fellowship. Circle's Fellowship selects six participants to be mentored, given a stipend, and other resources to network and develop scripts for pilots. The 6 current Fellows include Matthew Charles, Sessen Mengist, Gilani Sumida-Moiseff, Peter Vicaire, Kristen Angonese, and Taylor Stuckey. Anarchists United's founder Lilly Wachowski and Circle's founder Lawrence Mattis both expressed the importance of partnering with Circle's Fellowship, as both organizations encourage industry diversity and inclusivity.
“[We] are so excited about the next phase of the program and our collaboration with Anarchists United. The program continues to discover and support diverse vibrant creatives and, at the end of the day, uplifting emerging artists is what this industry should be about,” said Mattis.
Magid's recent consumer survey confirms that bundle plans decrease rates of churn by 16%. Due to Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery offering a bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and Max, along with Comcast's StreamSaver bundle of AppleTV+, Netflix, and Peacock, customers are 15% more likely to stay subscribed past six months. With rising prices of streaming subscription costs, bundling benefits both customers and providers.
Paramount Global's top executives, George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, have reiterated their focus on a cost-cutting and growth strategy after the failed merger talks with Skydance Media. The deal fell through because both parties couldn't agree on terms, leaving Paramount to continue as an independent entity. The trio emphasized their commitment to a strategic plan unveiled at their recent Annual Shareholder Meeting.
The plan includes cutting $500 million in costs through layoffs, creating a joint venture with Paramount+, and selling assets. Cheeks noted that the $500 million savings are just a start, with more details to be shared during the Q2 2024 earnings call. They acknowledged the challenging period of ongoing changes and speculations within the media industry and announced a town hall meeting on June 25 to discuss the future of Paramount in greater detail.
“We will continue to prioritize investment in our world-class franchises, films, series, and sports, which are the core of our business,” the executives wrote.
Roundtable
Off Script: Actor and director David Oyelowo (Selma) sat with fellow actors in The Hollywood Reporter's Off Script roundtable discussion hosted by Yvonne Orji to discuss saying "no" and the ins and outs of taking the stage. Oyelowo sympathized with the sentiment of physical auditioning being a negative experience because of the pressure of the professionals. He expressed that there's a lot of pressure of being a young actor, as they haven't "exercised muscle" on set yet. With his film Selma being given 20-30% less budget than the film required, Oyelowo saw that gatekeepers are lowering the value if they don't expect a big audience, despite the effort and skill being put into production. Because of the experience he's gained from working on Selma, Oyelowo emphasized the importance of putting himself out there and driving his vision forward.
“Every no is a cobblestone to a yes,” said Oyelowo.
Actors On Actors: Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth) spoke on Variety's YouTube show Actors on Actors about his friendship with co-star Joey King, Saturday Night Live, and his time on set in Red, White, and Royal Blue. In a conversation about what made him know he would be an actor, Perez expressed that sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live inspired him and his seven siblings to reenact sketches from the show. With acting in the film Red White and Royal Blue, Perez found that the role was a big responsibility in representing LGBTQIA+ in queer cinema. He emphasized the importance of accuracy, normalcy, and accessibility to anyone in the audience.
“Growing up, I never watched any queer cinema...watching it now, I'm like a giddy kid being like ‘Oh my gosh, wow! What a positive representation of love on-screen.’ And that's very new,” Perez expressed.
Quinta Brunson joined Jennifer Aniston on Variety's Actors on Actors YouTube series to discuss the writing and casting behind Abbott Elementary. When asked about making Janine leave her students for a better job in season 3 of Abbott Elementary, Brunson expressed that Janine was circling the same old wagons throughout the comedy series. Brunson realized her character was becoming more important to more people than she anticipated, so she decided to write her into a position where she could make a difference outside of the comedic scenes.
“The cast is still serving as representation for so many people, not even just Black people, but any marginalized group that hasn't seen themselves portrayed. Janine started to carry a lot of weight in a way those other characters had a freedom that Janine didn't...her fun antics and silliness have real consequences for the audience. I was like, 'So how do we balance who she is as a comedic character and give her a little bit of growth?' So she needed to step into this position.” Brunson reminisced.
Anna Sawai (Shōgun) joined Tom Hiddleston (Loki) on Actors on Actors to discuss finding identity in the characters they’ve played. Specifically, Sawai found her foundation in Japanese identity in her series Shōgun. Sawai expressed that her character Mariko had pressure to fulfill her duty, but it also provided freedom and liberation for her to achieve what was necessary. Along the same lines, Sawai recounted a pivotal experience at the Washington DC screening of the series where young girls told her it was the first time they saw a relatable Japanese character on screen.
“It was my first time reading a script that felt like she was not sidelined. And we were really seeing that vulnerability, but also the strength within her... I feel like if I had seen characters like Mariko on screen growing up, then that would have formed me in a different way. I wouldn't have internalized all those expectations,” Sawai reflected.
Anthony Mackie and Tyler James Williams discussed the different ways they've built their careers in the industry on Variety's Actors on Actors. When Williams mentioned that more people should join the comedy side of film/TV production, Mackie expressed that to get into comedy, an actor has to know the right people who can recognize the right humor to get their name out.
“The idea of comedy is something different to me...This industry can only see as far as their nose, so with comedy, it's not a thing of you being talented. Everybody's comic bone is different.”
Mackie asked Williams about his character Gregory on Abbott Elementary and how frustrating, yet hilarious, it was to watch his character make some of his decisions. Williams said that he, along with Quinta Brunson and Jordan Temple, are often in the room discussing how to elicit the right reactions from people for comedic situations.
”We have to live in their experience, and why they believe that this is or isn't going to work,” Williams stated.
