Small Screen: NBCUniversal Announces Its Newest 'Writers On The Verge' Participants, Plus New Series & Casting Announcements

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Broadcast: Ray Fischer is the latest actor to join ABC’s upcoming six-episode limited series Women of the Movement. Paired opposite Adrienne Warren, Fischer plays Gene Mobley, Mamie Till-Mobley’s partner and eventual husband as well as the would-be stepfather to Emmett Till, played by Cedric Joe. Adapted from Devery S. Anderson’s book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement, the series was created by showrunner Marissa Jo Cerar and comes from Kapital Entertainment.

NBCUniversal has announced its roster for the 2020-21 Writers on the Verge Program. Receiving over 2,400 applications, the network has selected eight finalists to participate in this year’s program, which will take place virtually: Kim Tran, Shawn Parikh and Hakim “Kimo” Hill will write for comedy alongside drama writers Cristina Boada, Julian Johnson, Hussain Pirani, Sujana Gowni and Eric Anthony Glover. Operating under the oversight of NBCUniversal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion Team, the program will provide guidance on writing and pitch presentation over the next six months for writers across diverse backgrounds looking to become staff writers for episodic television. Helmed by television executive Jen Grisanti, this year’s participants will be paired with NBCU executives who will mentor them in writing and pitching; participate in networking opportunities with executives, showrunners and agents and ultimately be considered for writing opportunities within the network following their successful completion of the program.

ABC will be developing a sequel to L.A. Law, with Blair Underwood set to return in the starring role of Jonathan Rollins. Co-written by Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed, the series returns to the law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak and sees Rollins have gradually become more conservative over the years. Rollins’ ideological shift will be challenged by J.J. Freeman, a new millennial character. A co-production between original producer 20th Television and Steven Bochco Productions, the series features an executive producing slate composed of Underwood, Guggenheim, Mohamed, director Anthony Hemingway, Jesse Bochco and Dayna Bochco. L.A. Law originally ran between 1986 and 1994 on NBC.

Rohit Jain

Cable: Executive producers and writers Jonathan I. Kidd and Sonya Winton-Odamtten are staying with HBO, having extended their deal with the network for another four years. As part of their renewed deal, the pair will develop Say Their Names, a limited series that explores the “Grim Sleeper” murders in Los Angeles. Told through the perspective of The Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders-founder Margaret Prescod in her mission to bring serial killer Lonnie Franklin to justice, the series delves into how police misconduct allowed Black girls and women to be murdered over the span of 30 years. Say Their Names comes from the executive producing team of writers Kidd and Winton-Odamtten, director Elliot Lester, Prescod, Provenance Venutures’ Lisa Ellis and Tribeca Productions’ Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh.

tvN has officially set its cast for its upcoming fantasy romance series One Day, Destruction Entered the Front Door of My House. Park Bo-young stars as editor Tak Dong-kyung, who takes a potentially devastating gamble in the pursuit of love by agreeing to a 100-day contract on her life that is offered to her by Seo In-gook’s demigod character, Destruction. Rounding out the cast are Lee Soo-hyuk and Kang Tae-oh, who play roommates, as well as Shin Do-hyun, who takes on the role of a novelist and the connecting point in a love triangle with the characters of Lee and Kang. Slated for an early 2021 premier, the series is written by Im Me-ah-ri with direction from PD Kwon Young-il.

After renewing his contract with Lionsgate India, executive Rohit Jain has been promoted to the position of Managing Director, South Asia and Network Platforms – Emerging Markets Asia. In his new role, Jain will play a more integral role in the growth of Lionsgate and Starz throughout existing and newly emerging South Asian markets. His promotion coincides with the recent launch of Starz’s Lionsgate Play streaming platform in India, which the executive has played a crucial role in the success of by establishing strategic partnerships with various platforms throughout the region to bolster the app’s availability. Jain has been with Lionsgate since 2018 when he helped establish its Mumbai headquarters; prior to Lionsgate, the executive spent seven years with Videocon d2h.

FX will be developing Reservation Dogs, an upcoming comedy from Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. Starring D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis and Lane Factor, the series centers on a group of Native teens from Oklahoma who love fighting crime as much as they love committing it. In addition to its starring cast, Reservation Dogs will also feature guest appearances by Tamara Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Macon Blair, Kirk Fox, Matty Cardarople, Dallas Goldtooth, Lil Mike and Funny Bone. With a pilot co-written by executive producers Harjo and Waititi, the series features a slate of Indigenous writers; Garrett Basch also executive produces.

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Streaming: Samuel L. Jackson is set to star in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a six-episode limited series based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley, for Apple TV+. Playing the titular role of Ptolemy Grey, Jackson stars as a 91-year-old man whose memory is slowly fading away in the minds of family, friends and, because he is suffering from dementia, even himself. As his days are coming to an end, Grey becomes gifted with the ability to temporarily restore his memories, offering him closure on the events of his life and an opportunity to discover the truth behind his nephew’s death. In addition to starring, Jackson will also act as an executive producer for the series alongside the collaborative team of Mosley, who will also write the series adaptation, and Diane Houslin as well as Anonymous Content’s David Levine and Eli Selden. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey marks Jackson’s second time working with Apple TV+, having appeared in the streaming service’s Anthony Mackie-starred film The Banker earlier this year.

Chukwudi Iwuji, Lochlyn Munro, Annie Chang and Christopher Heyerdahl have been cast in HBO Max’s upcoming series Peacemaker, which will begin production early next year. Developed as a spinoff to James Gunn’s upcoming 2021 film The Suicide Squad, the series will focus on the origins of the ironically named Peacemaker, a murderous character who resorts to violent means to accomplish his ultimate goal of maintaining peace. While character breakdowns for the actors’ roles have yet to be released, Iwuji has been confirmed to appear as a series regular while Munro, Chang and Heyerdahl will be featured in recurring guest roles. Written and directed by Gunn, the four join a cast that already includes John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland and Chris Conrad.

Kevin Hart will be expanding his presence in streaming after the announcements that his upcoming limited series True Story will be coming to Netflix and that content from his Laugh Out Loud Network recently became available to stream on Peacock. Hart stars alongside Wesley Snipes in True Story, a drama set in Philadelphia loosely based on his own life. Centering on his Kid character, with Snipes starring as Kid’s brother Carlton, the eight-episode series focuses on how Kid’s career in comedy comes into jeopardy after spending a night out with his dangerously erratic older brother. Said Hart of the upcoming series, “I’ve never been more excited about an acting project in my career…nobody is ready for what this show is going to be.” The executive producing slate for True Story includes Hart via HartBeat Productions, Eric Newman via Grand Electric, showrunner Charles Murray and director Stephen Williams. The production will be overseen by HartBeat Productions’ Mike Stein and Tiffany Brown with Grand Electric’s Caroline Currier. Williams will direct the series’ first four episodes, with the final four episodes directed by Hanelle Culpepper. In addition to his upcoming Netflix series, several scripted and unscripted series, standup specials and documentaries from Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network recently became available to stream on Peacock. Moving forward, Hart is also set to film a Peacock-exclusive standup special and a new series, Hart to Heart.