Small Screen: Atlanta Season Three Release Date Finally Here; Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s New Project With Starz; Kim Mi-soo Has Died At 29
Eddie Liu and Olivia Liang - CW
Broadcast: Ava DuVernay’s upcoming CW series Naomi seeks to expand the comic book universe it is set in. The original ‘comic book series that debuted in 2019, co-written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker and illustrated by breakout artist Jamal Campbell, the show follows a teenage girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi (Kaci Walfall) sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.’ The show is set to premiere on January 11th. DuVernay said this about rumors of internal network crossovers: “In terms of crossovers, we’re not thinking about that right now. She’s on her own path and I really think this is the first part of the Naomi-verse. People need to be trying to crossover into here! So we’ll see what happens, but you won’t see any crossovers in Season 1. We’re focused on Naomi’s journey singularly.”
The CW’s reboot of the classic series Kung Fu is officially greenlit for a sophomore season. The series has already cast new regulars which include: Annie Q. is Juliette Tan, JB Tadena will play Sebastian and Vanessa Yao is Mia. ‘Following the explosive Season 1 finale, Season 2 picks up with Nicky (Olivia Liang) and the Shens in a great place: Nicky’s been using her kung fu skills to keep Chinatown safe, she and Henry (Eddie Liu) are only deeper in love with each other, and unlike season one, the Shen family are all in the know about Nicky’s extracurricular activities. Jin and Mei-Li have righted the ship and Harmony Dumplings has seen an extraordinary recovery– the restaurant is doing better business than ever. Everything’s been great in Nicky’s life… that is, until the reemergence of Russell Tan, and the surprise appearance of Nicky’s cousin, Mia (Yao).’ The other cast members are Tzi Ma, Kheng Hua Tan, Jon Prasida, Shannon Dang, Gavin Stenhouse, Vanessa Kai, Tony Chung, and Yvonne Chapman.
From Left to Right: Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Donald Glover - FX
Cable: After almost four years Donald Glover’s acclaimed series Atlanta will be returning on FX with its upcoming third season on March 24th of this year. The critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning series last aired with the conclusion of its second season. The new installment in the series will be set (and filmed) almost entirely in Europe. ‘It follows Earn (Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Van (Zazie Beetz) in the midst of a successful European tour, as they navigate their new surroundings as outsiders and struggle to adjust to the newfound success they had aspired to.’ Eric Schrier, FX Entertainment president, said this about the news: ‘We are thrilled to have Atlanta back with a new season on March 24. Once again, Donald Glover, the producers, and stellar cast have delivered another signature season synonymous with the excellence that makes Atlanta so great.”
Yetide Badaki - Tommaso Boddi / Stringer
Streaming: AllBlk’s horror anthology series Terror Lake Drive is returning for a second season with a whole new assemble. The leads include Tony-nominee Pascale Armand (Eclipsed), Yolonda Ross (The Chi), Charles Malik Whitfield (Chicago Med), Denise Boutte (Meet The Browns), and Kendrick Cross (Ambitions). The series hails from Jerry LaMothe and Kajuana S. Marie and depicts the lives of the tenants who reside at the Freeman Lake Apartments in Atlanta. The sophomore effort is entitled Terror Lake Drive: Single Black Female and will begin two years removed from the initial events that haunt the Freeman Lake Apartments in season one. Directed by LaMothe, the 7-episode second season is slated to premiere in June 2022.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s new project will focus on the 17th-century African warrior queen entitled Queen Nzinga. The series, which finds its home on Starz, will focus on the ‘innocent princess in 17th century Angola who transforms into a fearless warrior queen and wages a ferocious 40-year guerrilla war against the kingdom’s formidable enemies and the cruel subjugation of her people by Portuguese slavers. Nzinga would come to sacrifice everything to defend her people’s dignity, liberty, and freedom. On seizing the crown, Nzinga, the first-ever female ruler, decreed “Call me king.”’ Yetide Badaki (Starz’s American Gods) has been cast as the series titular lead and will also be executive producing alongside Mo Abudu, Jackson, and Steven S. DeKnight. However, a showrunner has yet to be found. Badaki said this in a statement: “It has been a long-held dream of mine to bring the story of Nzinga to the screen. Her courage, determination, and passion resonated from the moment I laid eyes on historical depictions of the legendary queen. I am thrilled by Starz’s continued commitment to much-needed stories about and by historically excluded voices and the deeply talented team being built to share this epic narrative with the world.”
Kim Mi-Soo - Seokyong Lee/Penta Press/Shutterstock
Industry: Director/producer TIm Story, known for his films Ride Along and Think Like a Man, and his production company have just signed a first-look television deal with Entertainment One. According to the terms of the agreement, Story will be responsible for developing tv series for broadcast, cable and streaming. His first move has been to bring former Freeform head of development Lynn Barrie on board to serve as The Story Company’s Head of Television. Barrie will also be in charge of making sure everything included in the agreement is executed. EOne’s President of Global Television Michael Lombardo had this to say about the news: “Tim is a remarkably talented director and producer who has created some of Hollywood’s most beloved films. We’re delighted to be partnering with him as he continues his exciting expansion into television and look forward to creating even more impactful projects together.”
Snowdrop actor Kim Mi-soo died on January 5th. She was only 29 years old. The cause of death has yet to be revealed. The news of the late Korean model/actor was announced by the Landscape agency saying: “Kim suddenly left us on Jan. 5. The bereaved are deep in their sorrow at the sudden sadness. Please refrain from reporting false rumors or speculation so that the family can mourn in peace.” The actor, whose name is sometimes styled Kim Misu, plays student activist Yeo Jeong-min in Snowdrop and some South Korean news reports say Kim was filming a role in the upcoming series Kiss Six Sense at the time of her death.
