Small Screen: Women Of Color Highlight Hiring Announcements In Executive Positions, Plus New Casting For ‘Run The World’ & ‘Tyler Perry’s Ruthless’
Jodie Turner-Smith - Samir Hussein/WireImage
Broadcast: CBS will be developing two new series from Katrina O’Gilvie and Jeff Buehler, with both series coming out of CBS Studios, Rideback and Thinking Hat’s Campfire Writer’s Room. O’Gilvie’s Activation is an upcoming drama focused on disaster relief experts, while The Tempest, from Buehler, follows an ex-Army intelligence officer who enlists the help of her brother-in-law in order to investigate the death of her husband, only to find out that he was one of many test subjects used for a series government mind control experiments. With both series co-executively produced by Craig Turk of Thinking Hat alongside Rideback’s Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore, Activation will feature Rina Mimoun as an executive producer, while Anna Fricke will executively produce for The Tempest. The Campfire Writer’s Room, a partnership between CBS Studios, Rideback and Thinking Hat, was launched last year in order to provide exposure for both new and established writers who have not yet written for broadcast television.
Jodie Turner-Smith is set to star as Anne Boleyn in an upcoming three-part drama from Britain’s Channel 5. The Tudor-era limited series, written by Eve Hedderwick Turner and directed by Lynsey Miller, defies genre and traditional period drama format by telling the story of Boleyn's downfall as a psychological thriller. The upcoming series will focus on the conflicts Boleyn faces in a patriarchal society as she tries to protect her daughter's future while dealing with the backlash of failing to birth a male heir to King Henry VIII. Starring alongside Turner-Smith are Paapa Essiedu, Amanda Burton, Thalissa Teixeira, Barry Ward and Jamael Westerman. Produced by Faye Ward and Hannah Farrell of Fable and executively produced by historian Dan Jones, Anne Boleyn (working title) is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television and Channel 5. The upcoming series is not Turner-Smith’s first time working with the historical figure, as the actress produced 2008’s The Other Boleyn Girl, which was starred by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.
Former Netflix executive Jeeun Kim will be joining CBS Studios and Entertainment’s Business Affairs team to act as its co-Executive Vice President and co-Head of Business Affairs alongside longtime CBS executive Allison Brightman. The duo will oversee CBS’ Business Affairs department, leading operations for the network to support over 70 broadcast, cable and streaming series through primetime, daytime, late-night and television studios. CBS Entertainment Group’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Bryon Rubin praised Kim and Brightman, calling them “well versed in the financial and operational nuances of linear television, cable and streaming,” in addition to being “excellent leaders, strategic thinkers,” with “long-standing relationships with the talent, production, business and legal communities.”
ABC is set to develop Borderline, a new romcom series from writer Chris Encell centered on the relationship between main characters Steve and Maria, a new couple who become separated after Maria gets deported. Produced by ABC Signature with Danny Chun acting as an executive producer, Borderline joins Nedaa Sweiss’ upcoming lockdown-inspired Real People in ABC’s production slate of comedies focused on real-world issues.
Lewaa Nasserdeen - Bjoern Kommerell
Cable: Showtime will be developing a new, semi-autobiographical half-hour dramedy from Lewaa Nasserdeen on the relationship between two recent divorcees: Reema, a culturally traditional Arab woman, and Omar, her gay son in his thirties. The series follows mother and son as they find themselves once again living under the same roof and attempt to navigate life after divorce, with Reema trying to open herself up while Omar looks to go back to basics by returning to his roots. Produced by Skydance Television as part of its overall deal with Nasserdeen, the currently untitled series features a slate of executive producers that includes Nasserdeen, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Skydance’s Bill Bost.
Erika Alexander has been cast in a recurring role for Starz’ new comedy Run the World, joining Amber Stevens, Andrea Bordeaux, Bresha Webb, Corbin Reid, Stephen Bishop, Nick Sagar, Jay Walker and Tosin Morohunfola in the cast for the upcoming series. Run the World is a story of friendship, life and ambition between a group of Black women living in Harlem. More than just a backdrop, the series highlights the historic New York neighborhood as an integral part of the story of these best friends, featuring Harlem landmarks such as Marcus Garvey Park and the memorial statue of Harriet Tubman. Leigh Davenport serves as the creator, writer and executive producer of the upcoming eight-episode series, with Yvette Lee Bowser, who will also executively produce, acting as showrunner. Davenport called the upcoming series “a love letter to Black women and a love letter to Harlem,” stating her hopes for the series in being able to “[inspire] young, ambitious Black women to feel powerful, desirable and free.” Millicent Shelton, Justin Tipping, Jenée Lamarque and Nastran Dibai will also direct the upcoming production from Lionsgate Television.
Sunita Mani has been cast in a supporting role for HBO's upcoming reboot of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. The series is co-created by Hagai Levi, writer and director of the upcoming production, with Michael Ellenburg of Media Res and Endeavor Content, with the two studios producing. Levi and Ellenburg will act as executive producers via Media Res alongside Lars Blomgren, series leads Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, Daniel Bergman, Blair Breard and Amy Herzog.
Streaming: Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins recently released a teaser for The Underground Railroad, his upcoming limited series for Amazon Prime Video, featuring a snippet of the original score from longtime collaborator Nicholas Britell. A series adaptation of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad follows the story of Cora, played by Thuso Mbedu, after she escapes from a Georgia plantation and comes across her ticket out of the antebellum South: The Underground Railroad, an actual network of underground trains operated and maintained by engineers and conductors. Directed by Jenkins, The Underground Railroad is starred by Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon and Joel Edgerton and is executive produced by Jenkins, Whitehead, Academy Award-winning duo Adele Romanski and Dede Gardner, Mark Ceryak, Jeremy Kleiner, Sara Murphy, Sarah Esberg, Richard Heus and Jackie Hoyt in a co-production between Plan B, Big Indie and PASTEL Production.
Netflix has announced that it will be bringing five new original anime series to the streaming platform, joining 11 other anime originals already in production for the streaming service. Among the upcoming offerings are Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure, Thermae Romae Novae, High-Rise Invasion, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan and The Way of the Househusband. A follow-up to Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure follows the series of events that ensue when its characters Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori and Kaoru visit a closing amusement park. A co-production between dwarf studios and TYO Inc., the stop-motion series stars Mikako Tabe as Kaoru and is written by Takashi Sumita and Makoto Ueda with direction from Masahito Kobayashi. Based on Marai Yamazaki’s manga Thermae Romae, Thermae Romae Novae is a time traveling comedy that sees bath designer Lucius be transported in time from the Roman Empire to modern-day Japan, where he becomes engrossed in Japanese bath culture; Thermae Romae Novae is produced by NAZ. Another manga-based series, High-Rise Invasion features an original story from Tsuina Miura based on the manga from Takahiro Oba that centers on a set of skyscrapers that don’t reach the ground, the series follows Yuri as she tries to destroy this industrial dystopia. High-Rise Invasion comes from ZERO-G, with direction from Masahiro Takata, series composition by Toko Machida, character design and animation direction from Yoichi Ueda and music by tatsuo and Yoichi Sakai. The series features a cast that includes Haruka Shiraishi, Shiki Aoki, Akira Sekine, Junya Enoki and Yuichiro Umehara. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, based on the story by Hirohiko Araki for Shueisha Jump Comics, tells four separate stories from manga artist Kishibe Rohan during a trip to gather information for the manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable. Starring Takahiro Sakurai, the anime comes from David Production and is directed by Toshiyuki Kato with character designs from Shunichi Ishimoto. Rounding out the upcoming offerings is The Way of the Househusband from J.C.STAFF, the story of a major yakuza who decides to walk away from his life of organized crime in order to become a househusband. Directed by Chiaki Kon and starring Kenjiro Tsuda, the anime features a series composition from Susumu Yamakawa and is based on a story by Kousuke Oono.
After recently leaving BritBox, Soumya Sriraman has been named as Amazon’s new Head of U.S. Prime Video Channels. Sriraman’s new position will have her overseeing the live premium subscription offerings available for American audiences through Amazon Prime, including HBO, Showtime, Starz, AMC Plus, BET Plus and CBS All Access. In her previous role with BritBox, a dedicated streaming service focused on British television content, Sriraman commissioned and executively produced such series as The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco and There She Goes. In addition to her work with BritBox, the executive has also been with BBC Studios – Americas, where she served as its Executive Vice President of Franchise and Digital Enterprises, was the President and CEO of the independent film production company Palisades Tartan and acted as Vivendi Universal’s Senior Vice President of Theatrical Marketing.
Six new castmates are coming to Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, with Stevie Baggs, Jr., Colin McCalla, Samantha L. Thomas, Michelle Nuñez, Alise Willis and Jael Pettigrew joining as series regulars for the BET+ cult drama, adding to a cast that already includes Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Clermont, Anthony Bless and Bobbi Baker. Baggs, Jr. will play Oliver, a member of the Rakadushi cult who is eager to move up and mentored by River (McCalla), a law school graduate and recruiter for the Rakadushis. Thomas’ Paula and Nuñez’s Zane are close friends and cult members looking to escape. While Lacey (Willis) also hopes to escape from the Rakadushis, her romantic relationship with Oliver puts her in a bind between her goals and her feelings. Rounding out the slate of new series regulars is Clark, played by Pettigrew, a loyal cult member; the character had initially appeared during the first half of the season before being upgraded to a regular role. Tyler Perry executively produces, writes and directs the series alongside Michelle Sneed, who executively produces for Tyler Perry Studios. Tyler Perry’s Ruthless returns for a three-episode midseason premiere on November 26, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.
