Development News - February 19, 2020
CBS' B Positive & The Lincoln Lawyer; FOX's Blood Relative; HBO Max's Minx; NBC's Ordinary Joe; and Showtime's The President Is Missing.
CBS' B POSITIVE
- Annaleigh Ashford will play the female lead on the comedy pilot written by Marco Pennette. She won a Tony Award for the play You Can't Take It With You and received another Tony nomination for the musical Kinky Boots. She also starred for four seasons in Showtime's Masters of Sex. She next stars in FX's upcoming limited series Impeachment: American Crime Story.
- She will play Gina, a working-class woman who is larger than life in every sense - most importantly, her heart. She lives in her mother's basement, drives a senior citizen van for a living, and makes rash decisions, including giving Drew her kidney.
FOX's BLOOD RELATIVE
- Tate Donovan has been cast as the male lead on the drama pilot starring Melissa Leo. He previously starred for two seasons in FOX's The O.C. and three seasons in FX's Damages. He has recently recurred on Amazon's The Man in the High Castle and CBS' MacGyver.
- He will play Detective John Kelly, Lou's (Leo) brother. Everybody likes John. What's not to like? He's done everything right. Married his high school sweetheart and had two kids. Followed in his father's footsteps, as expected, and is now a detective on the force where his old man was lieutenant. When he's compelled to work on a case with his genius sister Lou, little does he know that their unlikely working partnership will bring to the surface demons from long ago. John will do a deep dive into their shared past, asking questions about their childhood and their father. Questions he won't be able to un-ask... and the idyllic life John has built for himself will threaten to crumble around him.
CBS' THE LINCOLN LAWYER
- Angus Sampson will co-star on the drama pilot (which has a series commitment) written by David E. Kelley. He previously starred for two seasons in Hulu's Shut Eye and one season in Syfy's Nightflyers. He has also recurred on FX's Fargo and AMC's The Walking Dead.
- He will play Cisco, a former biker gang member who now serves as Mickey's investigator, friend, and when necessary, bodyguard. He is an imposing figure with a keen mind and a deep well of contacts on both sides of the law that help him do his job.
HBO MAX NEW PILOT ORDER
- MINX (Comedy, Single Camera) - Written by Ellen Rapoport (Desperados). Executive produced by Rapoport, Paul Feig and Dan Magnante. Produced by Lionsgate Television and Feigco Entertainment. Logline: Set in 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.
SHOWTIME's THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING
- Janet McTeer is set as a series regular on the drama pilot starring David Oyelowo. She won a Tony Award for the play A Doll's House. She has received Academy Award nominations for Tumbleweeds and Albert Nobbs. She currently stars in Netflix's Ozark, which returns for its third season next month. She also starred for two seasons in Facebook Watch's Sorry for Your Loss and one season in Netflix's Jessica Jones.
- She will play Carolyn Brock, President Stoud's Chief of Staff. She is the powerful, devoted and abrasive political gatekeeper who enables Stroud to maintain her public image.
NBC's ORDINARY JOE
- James Wolk has booked the lead role on the drama pilot written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner. He previously starred for three seasons in CBS' Zoo and one season in CBS All Access' Tell Me a Story. He has also recurred on AMC's Mad Men, Showtime's Billions, Amazon's Goliath and HBO's Watchmen.
- He will play Joe Kimbrough. After he makes a pivotal choice at a crossroads in his life, the series follows three parallel lives - asking the question of how different life might look if you made your decision based on love, loyalty or passion. The choices he makes upon graduation from college change the trajectory of his life and the results of his decisions are seen in parallel time.
