Thursday, February 21, 2019

Development News - Andie MacDowell and Kathleen Turner to Star in FOX Dramedy Pilot from Tom Kapinos; Plus 8 More Updates!

Development News - February 21, 2019

The CW's Glamorous, Katy Keene & Untitled Nancy Drew; FOX's Patty's Auto & Untitled Tom Kapinos; HBO's Avenue 5; NBC's Uninsured & Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist; and Syfy's Cipher.




SYFY's CIPHER
  • Adrian Grenier and Sydney Morton have been cast on the drama pilot starring Gabriel Bateman. Grenier starred for eight seasons in HBO's Entourage as well as its followup feature film. Morton previously recurred on the first season of Netflix's She's Gotta Have It.
  • Grenier will play John, who returns to his hometown of Austin following the death of his wife to raise his only child, Asa (Bateman). When he learns that Asa's life is in danger, John is forced to step up and protect his son.
  • Morton will play Bridgette, an NSA operative who knows more about the source of the tech inside Asa than she lets on.
FOX's UNTITLED TOM KAPINOS PROJECT
  • Andie MacDowell and Kathleen Turner will star in the dramedy pilot written by Tom Kapinos. MacDowell starred in the films Sex, Lies and Videotape, Green Card, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day. In television, she starred for three seasons in Hallmark's Cedar Cove. Turner received an Academy Award nomination for the film Peggy Sue Got Married. She has also recurred on NBC's Friends, Showtime's Californication and Hulu's The Path. She will also appear in an upcoming episode of Netflix's anthology Dolly Parton's Heartstrings.
  • MacDowell will play Lily, the bitter, fiery supermodel meets '80s video vixen and the ex-wife of British rock star, Nigel Valentine.
  • Turner will play Grace, the blunt, tactless and judgmental mother of Alex Fletcher.
NBC's ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST
  • Skylar Astin and Alex Newell will co-star on the dramedy pilot starring Jane Levy. Astin stars in the Pitch Perfect film franchise and is currently appearing in the final season of The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Newell had a major recurring role on FOX's Glee.
  • Astin will play Max, Zoey's (Levy) co-worker and best friend who is funny and has an indie vibe.
  • Newell will play Mo, Zoey's neighbor who is easygoing, open-minded and cool.
THE CW's GLAMOROUS
  • Brooke Shields will play a lead role on the drama pilot written by Jordon Nardino. Jade Payton has also joined the cast today, while Eva Longoria has signed on to direct. Shields previously starred for four seasons in NBC's Suddenly Susan and two seasons in NBC's Lipstick Jungle. She has recently recurred on ABC's The Middle, NBC's Law & Order: SVU and The CW's Jane the Virgin. Payton appeared in a recurring role on the fourth season of The CW's iZombie.
  • Shields will Madolyn, a former supermodel and the founder and CEO of one of the industry's most respected and sophisticated cosmetics companies. A canny businesswoman and entrepreneur, she is at the top of the game and will stop at nothing to stay there, including making a strategic hire to be her eyes and ears within the company.
  • Payton will play Venetia, an ambitious clotheshorse and Madolyn's trusted personal assistant. Cool, smart and savvy, she also is deeply connected to Chicago's queer community and nightlife, with her finger on the pulse of who and what is happening in the underground scene.
HBO's AVENUE 5
  • Josh Gad has joined the cast of the comedy pilot starring Hugh Laurie. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2011 for his performance in The Book of Mormon. He also stars in the hit Disney animated film Frozen and its upcoming sequel. On TV, he starred in the short-lived comedies 1600 Penn on NBC and The Comedians on FX. He also co-created and is in the voice cast of Apple's upcoming animated comedy Central Park.
  • He will play Herman Judd, the billionaire face and name behind Avenue 5 and the whole Judd brand, which includes hotels, fitness clubs and space tourism. He is used to a life of luxury. He made his money from holiday resorts and thinks he's good at everything else. Terrible at science, he leaves that to the scientists he employs to give him the answers he wants.
THE CW's UNTITLED NANCY DREW PROJECT
  • Tunji Kasim is set as the male lead on the drama pilot starring Kennedy McMann. He previously starred in the E4 miniseries Nearly Famous.
  • He will play Ned "Nick" Nickerson, Nancy's (McMann) secret flame. He is a former high school athlete with a mysterious past, who should be on full scholarship to a top university. Instead, he's working as a car mechanic when he winds up a suspect in the murder along with Nancy - leading her to uncover a shocking motive from his past. But whether Nick's a victim of circumstance or something far more sinister remains to be seen.
NBC's UNINSURED
  • Adam Pally and Abby Elliott have booked the lead roles on the comedy pilot written by Dan Levy. Jessy Hodges and Amer Padha-Chatel have also been cast today. Pally starred for three seasons in ABC's Happy Endings, two seasons in FOX's The Mindy Project, one season in FOX's Making History and one season in YouTube Premium's Champaign ILL. Elliott starred for four seasons in NBC's Saturday Night Live and three seasons in Bravo's Odd Mom Out. Hodges starred in VH1's one-season drama Hindsight. Padha-Chatel is a relative newcomer.
  • Pally will play Dave, Rebecca's husband, a natural hype man with a good heart.
  • Elliot will play Rebecca, Dave's wife, a super mom who longs for the kind of order she can never achieve in a chaotic household.
  • Hodges will play Joanna, Dave's edgy younger sister.
  • Chadha-Patel will play Aram, Dave's business partner who is fast talking and always trying to make a deal.
FOX's PATTY'S AUTO
  • Carra Patterson, Sarah Levy, Paola Lázaro and Joanna Adler have landed the lead roles on the comedy pilot written by Darlene Hunt. Furthermore, Betsy Thomas has signed on to direct and co-executive produce. Patterson starred for two seasons in E!'s The Arrangement. Levy stars in Pop's Schitt's Creek, which is currently airing its fifth season. She also recently booked a role on the Pop comedy pilot Best Intentions. Lázaro has previously recurred on FOX's Lethal Weapon. Adler has recurred on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, USA's The Sinner and FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
  • Patterson will play Patty Stewart, who grew up poor and raised by a single mother. She's now the respected, intimidating owner of Patty's Auto, and she has made it her mission to empower her female employees.
  • Levy will play Jenna. Vulnerable and insecure, she is a service technician who is the most likely employee to be caught crying while working under a car. In the throes of a divorce, she strives to keep her two young sons on the straight and narrow.
  • Lázaro will play Liza, a service technician from Puerto Rico who works hard and parties harder. She gets asked out a lot by male customers, but her perfect man is a woman.
  • Adler will play Chyna, Patty's former shop teacher and mentor, now the forewoman of Patty's Auto. She teaches free car care workshops to the community and is a practical jokester who gets emotional when talking about cars and her husband of 18 years.
THE CW's KATY KEENE
  • Jonny Beauchamp and Julia Chan will co-star on the drama pilot written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Beauchamp previously had a recurring role on Showtime's Penny Dreadful. Chan starred for five seasons in CTV's Saving Hope.
  • Beauchamp will play Jorge/Ginger Lopez. By day, Jorge works at his family's bodega. By night, his drag alter ego Ginger bartends and performs at a local club. He always has aspired to be a Broadway performer, but he's not looking to take his drag career to the next level.
  • Chan will play Pepper Smith, a New York City "It Girl" who is at the epicenter of all things trendy. As the funny, magnetic life of the party, she dreams of opening her very own version of Andy Warhol's Factory. But behind all the outrageous noise, no one quite knows where she gets all her money - or if she even has any.