Moviefone Editorial

Tag: casting

‘The Walking Dead’ Vet Chandler Riggs Set for ‘A Million Little Things’ Arc

AMC

It’s back to work for Chandler Riggs.

The former “Walking Dead” cast member has landed another TV role. Riggs is set for a multi-episode arc on ABC’s “A Million Little Things,” TVLine reports. He’ll appear in at least two episodes of the freshman drama series.

The actor was one of the original stars of “The Walking Dead.” He played Carl Grimes starting in 2010, but he was killed off in Season 8. His new job is his first in nearly a year, as he wrote in a recent tweet. He shared that he was “almost unemployed for a full year” and expressed his excitement about his first day of work on “an incredible tv [sic] show.”

four days ago i was almost unemployed for a full year.

right now i'm sitting on the set of season one of an incredible tv show for my first day of work.

life changes really drastically really quickly

— chandler riggs (@chandlerriggs) January 21, 2019

Riggs is set to play a character named PJ, who meets Rome (Romany Malco), one of the main characters on “A Million Little Things.” They’ll apparently have a meaningful encounter, but it remains to be seen just what that means. It sounds like Riggs’s role could possibly grow, as he tweeted that he’s joining “for a couple episodes (and maybe more??)!”

“A Million Little Things” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

[via: TVLine]

January 23, 2019
Naomi Watts Joins Quibi Series ‘Wolves and Villagers’

Netflix

Naomi Watts isn’t afraid to try something new.

The two-time Academy Award nominee is set to star in the short-form series “Wolves and Villagers” for Quibi, Variety reports. The company’s co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has called it “Fatal Attraction 2.0,” but plot details haven’t been revealed. Stuart Blumberg is penning the project as well as executive producing alongside Jason Blum.

Watts is primarily known as a film star, but she has also starred in both traditional and web series. Her most recent show, 2017’s “Gypsy,” debuted on Netflix, and she also had a starring role in Showtime’s “Twin Peaks” revival. Additionally, Watts has joined HBO’s upcoming “Game of Thrones” prequel and Showtime’s limited series about the late Fox exec Roger Ailes.

Movies should continue to keep the actress busy as well. She most recently appeared in 2018’s “Vice” and “Ophelia,” and she currently has three films due out in 2019.

Quibi has not yet shared when “Wolves and Villagers” is expected to premiere.

[via: Variety]

January 17, 2019
Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard Reunite for ‘Fairy Tale Ending’

20th Century Fox; Universal Pictures

An upcoming comedy is bringing Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard together again.

The two actresses memorably shared the screen in 2011’s “The Help,” and now they’ll do so again. Both have signed on for the upcoming comedy “Fairy Tale Ending,” Deadline reports. They’ll double as producers as well.

Spencer won an Academy Award for her role as Minny in “The Help.” She played a domestic worker whose employer, Hilly (Howard), treated her badly. Minny, however, found a creative (and disgusting) way to get revenge. Both actresses went on to star in additional high-profile films, including “Hidden Figures” and “The Shape of Water” for Spencer, and the blockbuster “Jurassic World” and its sequel for Howard.

Universal only recently acquired the new project, and plot details haven’t been revealed. It will, however, feature a female-led ensemble cast. The pitch came from Jim Hecht and Tracy McMillan, and the two are penning the script.

Both Hect and McMillan are executive producing the project, alongside Spencer. Meanwhile, Howard is set to produce via her banner, Nine Muses Entertainment, while Eric Carlson and Susan Carlson will produce through CK&D Media. Fuzzy Door’s Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins will also produce. Erik Baiers is overseeing for Universal.

The film’s release date has not yet been announced.

[via: Deadline]

January 16, 2019
January Jones Joins Netflix Drama Series ‘Spinning Out’

Fox

January Jones is taking on another series.

The actress, who is known for her work on the shows “The Last Man on Earth” and “Mad Men,” has snapped up another lead role. She has joined the upcoming Netflix figure skating drama “Spinning Out,” Deadline reports. She’ll star alongside Kaya Scodelario.

The series centers on Kat Baker (Scodelario), an elite skater who switches from singles skating to pairs after a bad fall. When she partners with a bad boy named Justin (Evan Roderick), the two will face on- and off-ice challenges as they chase Olympic glory, all while Kat tries to keep a big secret. The cast also includes Sarah Wright Olsen, Will Kemp, Kaitlyn Leeb, Amanda Zhou, and Mitchell Edwards, as well as two-time Olympian Johnny Weir.

Jones’s character is Carol Baker, Kat’s mother. She is a former competitive figure skater herself, but she had to give up her dreams after getting pregnant. She reportedly pushes both Kat and her sister, Serena (Willow Shields), to succeed in skating, and has personal demons that could harm her relationship with them.

Jones comes to the project with a long list of TV and film credits to her name already. “Spinning Out” is one of two upcoming Netflix series for the actress; she also has a role in “The Politician,” a comedy series starring Jessica Lange and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others.

“Spinning Out” comes from Samantha Stratton, who is also a co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Lara Olsen. Safehouse Pictures’ Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold are also executive producing, while Matt Schwartz is a co-executive producer. Additionally, Liz Allen is directing and executive producing the first two episodes.

A release date for “Spinning Out” has not yet been announced.

[via: Deadline]

January 16, 2019
‘GLOW’ Season 3: Breeda Wool Nabs Recurring Role

Audience

Breeda Wool is adding some “GLOW” to her life.

The actress has landed a recurring role in Season 3 of the Netflix series, Deadline reports. The gig will put her among the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as a former showgirl and dancer, trying to provide for her daughter.

The series centers on a ragtag group of women and a washed-up director who put together a wrestling show. It starts off as a TV series, but after the events of Season 2, they’re taking it to Las Vegas. That’s where Wool’s character lives and works. We’re guessing Sin City will bring all kinds of new highs and lows for the ladies and their careers.

Wool is thrilled to be on the show. After the news broke, she tweeted that “watching and working on [‘GLOW’] makes [her] so happy.”

The cast includes Alison Brie (Ruth), Betty Gilpin (Debbie), and Marc Maron, among others. The show was created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, and inspired by an actual ’80s professional wrestling circuit called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

“GLOW” Season 3’s premiere date has not yet been announced.

[via: Deadline]

January 10, 2019
Al Pacino Close to Deal for Amazon Series ‘The Hunt’: Report

Saban Films

Al Pacino is apparently ready to try something new.

The longtime movie star is reportedly close to reaching a deal to take on his first role as a series regular. He is in negotiations to star in an upcoming Amazon series called “The Hunt,” Deadline reports. He’d play a Nazi hunter who belongs to a larger group that takes justice into its own hands.

Logan Lerman has also been cast in the series, which is set in 1977, and his character, Jonah Heidelbaum, finds the group after his grandmother’s murder. The members are hunting down Nazis who moved to the United States and took on new identities. Pacino’s character becomes Jonah’s mentor.

Pacino has, of course, had a long career in film, but he has never been a regular on a TV series. Although his television work has been limited, it has garnered accolades. He received an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in the HBO miniseries “Angels in America” as well as another Emmy for the made-for-TV biopic “You Don’t Know Jack.”

“The Hunt” is set for 10 episodes after a straight-to-series order in May. It is based on an original idea and also takes inspiration in real-life events. The series comes from creator David Weil. He is writing the series, as well as executive producing and co-showrunning alongside Nikki Toscano. Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld of Monkey Paw Productions are also excecutive producing, alongside Sonar Entertainment’s Tom Lesinski and Jenna Santoianni. Monkeypaw and Sonar are producing.

So far, a premiere date for “The Hunt” has not been announced.

[via: Deadline]

January 10, 2019
Awkwafina in Talks for ‘Jumanji’ Sequel: Report

Warner Bros. Pictures

Could there be even more laughs in the “Jumanji 2”?

Following 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, another comedian is reportedly poised to join the cast. Rapper-slash-actress Awkwafina is in talks for a role, Variety reports. She has made a splash in films lately, including “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” both of which opened in 2018.

There is no word yet on what her role would be, but she would presumably be along for another adventure involving the game Jumanji. In “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” four high school students were transported into the game’s dangerous world and turned into their adult avatars. It was a sequel to 1995’s “Jumanji,” which was based on Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 book of the same name. One big difference was that the game went from being a board game to a video game.

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” co-writer and director Jake Kasdan is back for the film, and he gave what Johnson called a “dynamite pitch” in June. Apparently, they “couldn’t stop laughing,” so we can see Awkwafina being a good fit.

Kasdan co-wrote the “Jumanji 2” script with Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, both of whom worked on “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” They’ll have a chance to equal or even surpass their recent success. The 2017 film was a huge hit a year ago, earning more than $962 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo data.

Seven Bucks Productions’ Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia are producing, along with Matt Tolmach of Matt Tolmach Productions and Kasdan.

“Jumanji 2” is set to open Dec. 13.

[via: Variety]

January 3, 2019
Ansel Elgort to Star in ‘The Great High School Imposter’

Stage 6 Films; Vertical Entertainment

“The Great High School Imposter” has gotten a commitment to star from Ansel Elgort.

The actor is attached to the project, Deadline reports. It is based on the GQ article “The Great High School Imposter” by Daniel Riley about the adoption of a Ukranian teen named Artur Samarin. Mike Makowsky (“Bad Education”) is adapting the story.

The tale is an interesting one. Samarin came to the United States from Ukraine on a work-exchange program in his late teens, and while there, he became friends with an American couple. As he got closer to having to return home, they found a way he could stay: by lying about his age and being adopted. Samarin pulled it off for several years, but his relationship with his adoptive parents went south, and after he ran away, they went to the police and claimed he was a terrorist. He did ultimately serve time in jail, but it was for a relationship he’d had with a teen while still pretending to be one himself as well as passport and Social Security fraud.

Elgort has kept busy in recent years. His work includes starring roles in “Billionaire Boys Club,” “Jonathan,” “November Criminals,” “Baby Driver,” and more. He also stars in the upcoming “Goldfinch” and a “West Side Story” remake.

The film comes from Participant Media and Condé Nast Entertainment, with Robert Kessel and Jonathan King producing for the former and Jeremy Steckler for the latter. Makowsky and Elgort will executive produce alongside Emily Gerson Saines.

[via: Deadline]

December 17, 2018
Kaya Scodelario Replaces Emma Roberts in Netflix’s ‘Spinning Out’

20th Century Fox

The Netflix figure skating drama “Spinning Out” has found a new leading lady.

“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” star Kaya Scodelario has boarded the project, Variety reports. She’ll play Kat Barker, the elite skater at the center of the series. Previously, Emma Roberts was set to portray the character, but her rep announced her exit in late October, citing a scheduling conflict.

As Kat, Scodelario will play a competitive singles skater who is ready to hang up her skates after a bad fall. However, she’ll instead turn to pairs, teaming up with a bad-boy partner. They’ll have to contend with major challenges — both on and off the ice — as they try to make it to the Olympics.

Scodelario has been in several high-profile films in recent years, including three Maze Runner films and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” She also stars in the upcoming Ted Bundy biopic, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” However, she first made a name for herself starring in the British TV series “Skins.”

The actress’s latest series is created by Samantha Stratton, who is serving as an executive producer and co-showrunner with Lara Olsen. The show’s other executive producers include Safehouse Pictures’ Tony Tunnell and Joby Harold, while Matt Schwartz will co-executive producer.

Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of “Spinning Out.” No premiere date has yet been announced.

[via: Variety]

December 13, 2018
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Star Constance Wu in Talks for New Comedy

Warner Bros. Pictures

From crazy rich to crazy… pregnant?

“Crazy Rich Asians” star Constance Wu is in talks for a starring role in a new rom-com, THR reports. The story centers on a very unusual pregnancy, with the script being written by Savion Einstein. Screen Gems acquired the spec script after Einsten was honored as a Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist in 2016, according to Deadline at the time.

Wu’s potential character hasn’t been announced, but the untitled comedy reportedly follows a “charmingly chaotic” woman who ends up pregnant with two babies with two different fathers. And yes, that’s possible. It’s a phenomena known as superfecundation. The children would be twins yet only half-siblings.

Wu’s last major film, “Crazy Rich Asians,” was a major box office hit over the summer. Not only that, she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role. Having seen her in the film and other roles, we think she’d do “charmingly chaotic” well.

“GLOW” actor Kimmy Gatewood is in negotiations to direct in what would be her feature directorial debut. The untitled comedy’s release date has not yet been announced.

[via: THR]

December 10, 2018