Yaya DaCosta has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming Fox drama series “Our Kind of People,” Variety has learned. With the casting, DaCosta will exit the NBC series “Chicago Med,” on which she has starred for six seasons.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years. The series follows strong-willed, single mom Angela Vaughn (DaCosta) as she sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women. But she soon discovers a dark secret about her mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.
DaCosta first rose to prominence during her time on “America’s Next Top Model” in 2004. She has gone on to a successful acting career, having starred in shows like “All My Children” and “Ugly Betty.” She has been a main cast member of “Chicago Med” since 2015, playing ED nurse April Sexton. She has also made appearances on both “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire.” Her feature credits include “The Butler,” “The Nice Guys,” the Whitney Houston Lifetime biopic “Whitney,” and “The Messenger.”
She is repped by Gersh and ID PR.
Fox opened a writers’ room for “Our Kind of People” in September 2020 and was ordered to series in March 2021. Karin Gist is writing and executive producing. Lee Daniels and Marc Velez also executive produce via Lee Daniels Entertainment along with Pam Williams and Claire Brown of The Gist Of It Productions, Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Rodney Ferrell of Propagate, and Montrel McKay. Tasha Smith will direct the pilot episode. 20th Television and Fox Entertainment will produce. Gist and Daniels are currently under overall deals at 20th Television.
Billy Porter (“Pose”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek”) and EJ Johnson (“Rich Kids of Beverly Hills”) have joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ animated series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.” Porter and Quinto, respectively, voice Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, mixed-race adoptive parents to 14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, previously announced to be voiced by Keke Palmer. Johnson will voice Michael Collins, Penny’s best guy friend who is a non-conforming trendsetter, serving up fierce looks at school and on the basketball court. New character images were released today.
“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” will pick up the story of its central character Penny Proud and also include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be “The Proud Family” without Penny’s loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others. Cast members reprising their voice roles from the original series are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez, Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. Currently in production at Disney Television Animation for a 2022 launch on Disney+, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is executive-produced by Bruce W. Smith (“The Princess and the Frog”) and Ralph Farquhar (“Moesha”), both of whom led the original series. Calvin Brown, Jr. (“Moesha”) is co-executive producer and story editor, Jan Hirota (“Big Hero 6 The Series”) is producer, and Eastwood Wong (“Carmen Sandiego”) is art director. All previous seasons of “The Proud Family” are currently available on Disney+.
HBO Max is adding another comedy to its roster.
The streamer has handed out a series order to half-hour scripted entry Gordita Chronicles.
The comedy, which was first put into the WarnerMedia-backed platform’s development pipeline in February 2020, revolves around a 12-year-old Dominican girl who struggles to fit into hedonistic 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American dream.
Newcomer Olivia Goncalves stars in the single-camera comedy from Sony Pictures Television. Claudia Forestieri (Good Trouble, Selena) penned the script and exec produces alongside Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva), Jennifer Robinson and Chris King of Osprey Productions. Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz (HBO Max’s Love Life) also exec produces and serves as showrunner. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana and Cisely Saldana exec produce via their Cinestar Pictures label. Eva Longoria directed the pilot and also is credited as an exec producer on the series via her UnbeliEVAble banner.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zoe, Eva, Josh and Sony Pictures Television to bring to life this beautiful coming-of-age story inspired by Claudia’s personal journey,” said Jennifer O’Connell, exec vp nonfiction and live-action family programming at HBO Max. Added Sarah Aubrey, head of originals st the streamer: “HBO Max is proud to work with the powerhouse Latinx talent in front of and behind the camera for this series, which we believe will resonate with all families.”
Goncalves leads the cast that also includes Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier, Savannah Nicole Ruiz, Noah Rico and Cosette Hauer.
Gordita Chronicles has been fast-tracked at HBO Max. The project spent the bulk of 2020 in development and was ordered to pilot in March, receiving a speedy green light as sources note execs at both HBO Max and producers Sony TV (which was the studio on Netflix’s Latinx reboot of One Day at a Time) loved the creative.
Gordita Chronicles joins a roster of scripted comedies at HBO Max that also includes Hacks, Generation, Love Life, Made for Love, Rap Shit, Search Party, The Sex Lives of College Girls and the upcoming Sex and the City update, among others.
“From the minute we heard Claudia’s childhood story, we knew it was not only incredibly funny, but emotionally poignant and an important story to tell,” said Jason Clodfelter, co-president at Sony Pictures Television Studios. “Cucu and the Castellis remind us of the iconic sitcom families we grew up watching, but none of those ever captured a Dominican family’s experience of coming to America. This show changes all of that, and we are thrilled and grateful to dive back in and make a wonderful series for our friends at HBO Max.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Fans of the iconic sitcom Martin will be thrilled to see a launch of Martin-themed Pistons merch. 30 years after the show made Detroit it’s home, Lawrence and the Pistons have reunited for this limited-edition collaboration showcasing Detroit’s love for Martin, and Lawrence’s love for the city the TV hit took place in. The line will be available this Friday, May 14th, exclusively on Pistons313shop.com.
Included in the release is jerseys, hats, shorts, sweats, t- shirts and more, bringing in quoted lines from the scenes of the show.
“Detroit has always shown me so much love and always shows up for me,” said Lawrence. “From stand-up tours to fans on the street Detroit has felt like home. It’s an honor to be part of something that means so much to me to this many years later.”
“With the city of Detroit as the show’s backdrop, Martin became must-watch TV in the 90’s,” said Mike Zavodsky, Chief Business Officer of the Detroit Pistons. “Martin’s love for the Pistons in the show translated into passion for the team – the fact that he has a ring from the 2004 team is proof of that. We’re thrilled to partner with Martin to introduce a merchandise line that pays homage to both Martin and the show’s Detroit roots.”
Getting back onstage during the pandemic was initially tough for comedian Guy Torry.
The St. Louis native, performing this weekend at the Funny Bone, questioned whether it was right to have shows during a pandemic. Would he be responsible if an audience member became ill?
But a show late last year in Kansas City confirmed he’d made the right decision. He’d been enjoying some banter with a man in the audience that was fun — then head-scratching.
The man was at the show with his ex-wife, who’d remarried. Torry had some fun with that, and then the man revealed he was terminally ill. The show took a somber turn.
“He said he just wanted to see one of my shows before he checked out,” says Torry, humbled. “‘Wow, that’s on your list? My list would have been wildin’ out.’ The people started laughing again.”
He realized the audience needed him onstage as much as he needed it.
The timing of the pandemic possibly saved his life.
Before 2020, Torry spent up to 35 stressful weeks a year on the road. That involved drinking, a lot of eating bad food in comedy clubs and the additional stress of being a Black man in America.
He says all that, along with being prediabetic, was a potential cocktail for death.
“Taking me off the road saved my life,” he says. “2020 allowed me to sit down. What I lost in revenue I gained in years of my life,” says Torry, who clarifies that he’s not an alcoholic.
He recognizes the havoc it’s caused. “Personally, in my humble opinion, the pandemic was a godsend,” he says.
Torry returned to the stage in late spring and quickly saw clubs weren’t paying what they once were. “You can’t fill the room to capacity, so how can you ask for the same money when they can’t fill the same seats?”
Though his bookings have been spotty, he says, “I need that stage, and people need to get out.”
In his shows, he addresses the pandemic, relationships, “the state of the union, and the state of the Black union.” His comedy better reflects who he is now — divorced at age 52.
“I’d never settled on who I was as a comedian,” Torry says. “At first I was trying to be Joe (his brother, actor-comedian Joe Torry). We don’t need another Joe.
“When I thought I had my foot pointed in one point of view, now I’m finding myself in a new role.”
He also learned about pivoting during the pandemic. When the filming of a planned comedy special was temporarily nixed, he instead did a cooking show on Instagram Live.
And he can finally say he sees the finish line for “Phat Tuesdays,” his long-in-the-making comedy documentary for Amazon Prime Video.
The title comes from a weekly comedy night he created in Los Angeles, exposing Black comedians to larger audiences. Phat Tuesdays ran at the Comedy Store from 1995 to 2005, with then-budding comedians including Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, Dave Chappelle, Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, Mo’nique and Mike Epps passing through.
Torry filmed interviews with a number of the comedians. Some he wouldn’t have gotten had they not been grounded because of the pandemic.
He came up with the idea for the documentary 12 years ago and is in the final stages of production.
The pandemic allowed him access to a director he might not have had otherwise: Reginald Hudlin of East St. Louis, who directed movies such as “House Party,” “Boomerang,” “Safety,” “Marshall” and the documentary “The Black Godfather.” He also produced “Django Unchained” and last year’s Emmy Awards.
Torry, Hudlin and Kelsey Grammer are executive producing the comedy documentary.
“It means everything,” Torry says of securing Hudlin. “I first talked to him about it while he was on the set of ‘Django.’ I also wanted Regina King to do it, and she wanted to do it, but I would have had to wait a year. Reggie was the guy. He’s the homie. He gets comedy, and I respect his work.”
Torry worked with Hudlin and his brother, Warrington Hudlin, on the 1998 movie “Ride.” The brothers were producers.
He says wrapping the documentary feels surreal.
“There was never a doubt,” he says. “It was gonna happen when it was supposed to happen. I prayed on it, and I tell people to keep working, keep grinding, never give up.”
By Kevin C Johnson For St Louis Today
Dave Chappelle’s personal life has taken on a near-mythic existence. But now the comedic legend is pulling back the veil to give fans a peek at a couple of his long-standing friendships.
On Tuesday, Chappelle announced that he’ll partner with the Luminary subscription podcast network to launch The Midnight Miracle with co-hosts, close friends, and members of Black Star, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey.
The trio will host guests from their famed friend group (which is known to include Chris Rock, Common, and Kanye West) as well as other cultural icons. Through these conversations, they’re hoping to innovate in the podcast space and offer thoughtful critiques on the world we live in.
“Making a podcast isn’t the obvious next move for me, but it’s the right one,” Chappelle said in a release. “The Midnight Miracle gives you a look into how me and my friends process the world around us, and I think it will change the way listeners think of what a podcast can be.”
Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has partnered with Verizon on a Black-owned media summit scheduled for May.
The goal of this new diversity, equity and inclusion initiative is to increase media spending with Black-owned companies based in the United States.
“I’m very proud of Verizon, one of the largest advertisers in the world, coming to the table to make sure we have real economic inclusion for Black-owned media,” said Allen, who is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Allen Media Group. “The biggest trade deficit in our nation is the trade deficit between corporate America and Black America, and we must close that gap immediately.”
“Verizon has been working to address diversity, equity and inclusion issues for years and we are proud of the actions we continue to take to move the industry forward,” added John Nitti, Chief Media Officer, Verizon. “Increasing our financial commitment to Black-owned media companies and partnering with Allen Media Group to host a summit that will provide these companies with resources to help enable long term growth is a crucial part of our responsible marketing action plan. It is also an important step in creating the equity the industry needs.”
Founded in 1993, Allen Media Group owns 16 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations, along with ten 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 180 million subscribers, including The Weather Channel, Pets.TV, Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Cars.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, JusticeCentral.TV, TheGrio.TV and This TV. Adding its eleventh network (The Weather Channel En Espanol) this year, the company is one of the largest independent producer-distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast TV stations, producing, distributing and selling advertising for 67 television programs. Continuing to expand its reach around the globe, Allen Media Group International Television currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada and New Zealand.
It was in 2016 that Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, “a highly-rated, digital video-centric news community platform, devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets.”
While heading up Allen Media Group, Allen also spearheads Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company that he founded in 1993. ESMP’s feature credits to date include oceanic thriller 47 Meters Down, Scott Cooper Western, Hostiles, and more.
Allen Media Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Raleigh.
Source: Deadline
The Walt Disney Company has released a new trailer and poster for its all-new live-action feature film “Cruella,” starring Academy Award®-winners Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, directed by Craig Gillespie. The film will release simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access for a one-time additional fee on Friday, May 28. Academy Award® winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in Disney’s “Cruella,” an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.
Disney’s “Cruella” is directed by Craig Gillespie (“I Tonya”) from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Kelly Marcel & Steve Zissis. It was produced by Andrew Gunn (“Freaky Friday”), Marc Platt (“Mary Poppins Returns”) and Kristin Burr (“Christopher Robin”), with Emma Stone, Michelle Wright, Jared LeBoff and Glenn Close serving as executive producers. Two-time Oscar®- winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “A Room with a View”) creates the dazzling and imaginative costumes, which take on a life of their own.
Nia Long is joining Storm Reid in the next installment of the box office hit film Searching, for Sony’s Stage 6 Films. Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Megan Suri, and Tim Griffin are rounding out the cast.
Searching 2 will not be a direct sequel, but rather a next installment in the Searching franchise. The plot is still under wraps, but it will feature a new set of characters where the story plays out on the screens of the characters’ devices. It is starting production in the spring.
Will Merrick & Nick Johnson will make their directing debut on the film. The pic is being produced by Natalie Qasabian, Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian of Search Party, as well as by Bazelevs’ Adam Sidman and Timur Bekmambetov. Jo Henriquez is executive producing and Congyu E is co-producing.
Merrick and Johnson wrote the screenplay, which is based on a story by Ohanian and Chaganty.
Most recently, Long produced and starred in the Netflix thriller Fatal Affair, which debuted at No. 1 on the platform. Additionally, she starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie in the Apple film The Banker. Other recent film credits include Janicza Bravo’s Sundance-nominated Lemon and Netflix’s Roxanne Roxanne with Chanté Adams and Mahershala Ali. She is next set to star in the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters, where she will reprise her role alongside the rest of the original cast of the films.
Leung can currently be seen in HBO’s Industry and is also known for his roles on ABC’s Lost, NBC’s The Blacklist and The Night Shift. Landecker is known for her portrayal of Sarah Pfefferman on Amazon’s Transparent. Landecker most recently appeared opposite Bryan Cranston and Michael Stuhlbarg in the Showtime limited series Your Honor and the Netflix film Project Power with Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Henney became a household name in Korea after starring in the TV drama My Lovely Sam-Soon and later went on to star in the Korean series Hello Franceska, Spring Waltz and The Fugitive: Plan B. Suri previously appeared in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, feature film Valentine’s Day, HBO’s The Brink and Netflix’s Atypical as well as booking her first title role in The Miseducation of Bindu. Griffin recently finished filming the independent features Next Exit and The Seven Neighbours.
Long is repped by Verve, Untitled and by attorneys Neil Meyer and Emily Downs at Meyer & Downs. De Almeida is repped by APA, Lasher Group and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson. Leung is repped by A3 Artists Agency and PH Entertainment Group. Landecker is repped by ICM Partners, Principal LA and Felker Toczek. Henney is repped by CAA and More/Medavoy. Suri is represented by Clear Talent Group, Apex Talent Group and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Griffin is repped by Buchwald and Untitled.Bekmambetov is represented by WME and Chase Mellen III.
Source: Deadline
The project would trace the origins of the indelible character in 1970s Atlanta.
Tyler Perry isn’t quite ready to bid farewell to Madea.
The prolific creator and producer is developing a prequel series focused on his iconic character’s origins at Showtime. ViacomCBS’ premium cable outlet has ordered multiple scripts for the project, titled Mabel.
The hour-long drama comes from creators Perry and Tim Palen, with JaNeika and JaSheika James (Empire, HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot) attached to write. All four will serve as executive producers.
Mabel is set in Atlanta in 1972. It will tell the story of Mabel Simmons: Long before she was the force of nature known as Madea, she was a smart, fierce, irresistible, dangerous, crazy 20-something Black woman who set the city — and the world — on fire.
Perry has a massive content partnership with ViacomCBS that includes an ownership stake in streaming service BET+, for which he has produced series Ruthless and Bruh, along with The Oval and Sistas for BET’s cable network.
BET+ also streamed a performance of Madea’s Farewell Play in August 2020, which marked Perry’s final time playing the character — a role that spanned more than 20 plays and 11 feature films.
“I don’t want to be her age playing her, so it was time to shut it down and move on,” Perry told The Hollywood Reporter at the 2019 premiere of A Madea Family Funeral. “I’ve got some other things I want to do, and in this next 50, I’m going to do something different.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter