Wayne Brady To Star In Blended Family Comedy Based On His Life In Works At CBS
Let’s Make a Deal host Wayne Brady is set to topline an autobiographical hybrid comedy, which is in development at CBS.
Brady is collaborating on the project with his ex-wife, Mandie Taketa, as well as veteran Will & Grace writer-producers Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally.
I hear the untitled comedy written and executive produced by the quartet is about a divorced couple who successfully co-parent in a blended multiracial family. CBS Studios is the studio.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Brady spoke how his personal experience being part of a blended family during the pandemic helped shape the idea for the series.
He said that he has been spending a lot of time with his ex-wife, her boyfriend and their daughter while in quarantine. “It’s been natural for us. We didn’t need a quarantine to do this, we’ve been doing it for Maile’s whole life,” Brady said. “Now we have a sitcom that we are working on with our friends who were the showrunners over at Will & Grace, Tracy and Jon. We’re writing a script about our life as a blended family, we call ourselves the ‘core four.’”
Longtime friends Kinnally and Poust first began to work together in the mid-1990s in New York when they did a live, weekly soap opera show at an East Village club. They started writing some of their own material and soon formed a small comedy sketch group. In 1997, they reunited in Los Angeles, where they worked odd jobs while doing sketch comedy at the Arcade Theater and writing sitcom spec scripts. In 1998, one of their specs found its way to David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, creators/executive producers of then-newly picked-up series Will & Grace. Kinnally and Poust – a gay man and a straight woman in real life, just like the title characters on the NBC sitcom – were offered staff writing jobs and went on to work on Will & Grace for the show’s entire eight-year original run, rising to executive producers/showrunners on the final two seasons. The two also returned for the Will & Grace revival on NBC as executive producers. Kinnally and Poust’s series credits also include 2 Broke Girls and The Crazy Ones.
Brady hosts CBS’ daytime game show Let’s Make a Deal, which will air a primetime special Dec. 22. As an actor, he recently did stints on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful and The Neighborhood, the CW’s Black Lightning and ABC’s Mixed-ish.
Source: Deadline
First Look- ‘Coming 2 America’ Starring Eddie Murphy And Arsenio Hall
Thirty-two years after Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall became movie royalty in Coming to America, Prince Akeem and his trusty friend Semmi are reuniting in the first look at Coming 2 America, which arrives March 5, 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.
Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi(Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York – where it all began.
Directed by Craig Brewer
Screenplay by Kenya Barris and Barry W. Blaustein & David Sheffield
Story by Barry W. Blaustein & David Sheffield and Justin Kanew
Based on characters created by Eddie Murphy
Produced by Kevin Misher and Eddie Murphy
Costumes by Ruth E. Carter
Executive Produced by Brian Oliver, Bradley Fischer, Valerii An, Kenya Barris, Charisse Hewitt-Webster, Michele Imperato Stabile and Andy Berman
Starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, with Wesley Snipes and James Earl Jones. Also starring John Amos, Teyana Taylor, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Paul Bates, Nomzamo Mbatha, Bella Murphy
Eddie Murphy and Shari Headley star in COMING 2 AMERICA
Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios
British Comedian London Hughes And Will Packer Productions Team Up For New Comedy Film ‘Hot Mess’
Will Packer Productions and Universal are developing a comedy feature, Hot Mess, which will be toplined by British comedian and actress London Hughes. The film is based on a pitch by Hughes and screenwriter Noushin Jahanian, who will pen the screenplay.
Will Packer and James Lopez will produce through Will Packer Productions with Johanna Byer serving as executive producer. Erik Baiers will oversee the project on behalf of Universal.
Hughes is gearing up for the release of her Netflix special To Catch a D*ck, which debuts on December 22. She was recently announced as one of the hosts of The Netflix Afterparty, a weekly comedy aftershow, along with David Spade and Fortune Feimster, as well as a guest-star on the forthcoming History of Swear Words series hosted by Nicolas Cage.
“After witnessing London’s first performance of her one-woman show in the States I knew I had to be in business with her,” said Lopez. “We are thrilled to be working with London and Noushin on this project and look forward to audiences experiencing their edgy brand of humor.”
Said Hughes, “Will Packer and James Lopez are my LA Fairy God-Dudes! James was one of the first executives I met when I got to the States and he immediately believed in me. I’m beyond excited for the world to see what we’ve been up to.”
Hughes is repped by UTA, Haven, Curtis Brown, and Ziffren Brittenham. Jahanian is with Kaplan/Perrone.
Source: Deadline
Issa Rae Developing ‘Nice White Parents’ Series At HBO
Issa Rae is jumping into yet another TV project, this time with Adam McKay.
According to Variety, Rae and McKay are adapting the Serial Productions five-part podcast Nice White Parents into an HBO TV series. The series currently has a pilot commitment and is in the process of hiring a showrunner.
The series will take “a satirical look at the conflict and comedy that arise when highly resourced white parents, who claim to have the best intentions, wield their influence over generations of Black and Brown students within the NY public school system.”
Rae will executive produce via her new HooRae production company with Montrel McKay. HooRae’s Sara Rastogi will also produce.
Adam McKay and Todd Schulman will also executive produce through Hyperobject Industries. Also executive producing are Serial Productions’ Sarah Koenig, Chana Joffe-Walt, Julie Snyder and Alissa Shipp, as well as 3 Arts Entertainment’s Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry.
Source: Variety
‘Chappelle’s Show’ To Be Pulled Off HBO Max At Dave Chappelle’s Request
HBO Max is honoring a request by Dave Chappelle to remove “Chappelle’s Show” from the streaming service at the end of this year.
Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, made the revelation during the keynote conversation on day one of Variety’s Virtual FYCFest.
“We had a conversation with Dave. I won’t get into it, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique and specific and emotional issue he’s got,” Bloys told Variety‘s executive editor of TV, Daniel Holloway. “So at the end of the year, at the end of this year, December 31st, we’re going to honor his request and take the show down.”
Chappelle previously got Netflix to take the show which bears his name down as well. In a lengthy video of one of his standup sets posted to Instagram, Chappelle explained that due to the nature of the deal he signed years ago when the show was made, he does not receive any compensation when ViacomCBS licenses it to streamers like HBO Max or Netflix.
“They (ViacomCBS) didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract,” Chappelle said in the video. “But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.”
In the same video, Chappelle told the story of how HBO rejected his pitch for the show when he brought it to them before Comedy Central.
“They said, literally, ‘What do we need you for?’ That’s what they told me as they kicked me out of the office, ‘What do we need you for?’” he said. “And here we are all these years later and they’re streaming the very show I was pitching to them. So I’m asking them, what do you need me for?”
Source: Variety
‘Empire’ Cookie Spinoff Starring Taraji P. Henson Not Moving Forward At Fox
The potential “Empire” spinoff centered on Cookie Lyon starring Taraji P. Henson is not moving ahead at Fox, Variety has learned.
The spinoff was first announced as being in development back in July, part of a first-look deal Henson had signed with studio 20th Television. Details on the series were sparse at the time it was announced except to say it would “follow what’s next for Cookie” following the series finale of “Empire.” According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the project will be shopped to other outlets.
“Empire” co-creator Danny Strong was attached to write the series alongside Stacy A. Littlejohn and Yolonda Lawrence, with Sanaa Hamri on board to direct. Lee Daniels served as an executive producer alongside Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Samie Falvey. Henson was also an executive producer on the project. 20th Television and Imagine Entertainment would produce.
Both Strong and Henson have other projects in the works at 20th TV. Strong is currently prepping the drama “Dopesick” for Hulu, while Henson has other TV projects in development.
One potential hiccup for the project was the fact that when it launched, 20th Television and Fox were part of the same company. Since then, 20th Television has been acquired by Disney and retains ownership of the show, while Fox Entertainment has no stake in it.
Henson skyrocketed to fame when “Empire” proved to be a breakout hit for Fox when it originally launched in 2015 to critical acclaim and massive ratings. The role ultimately earned her two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for best actress in a drama series. “Empire” ended up running for six seasons on the broadcaster. The final episodes aired earlier this year, with the sixth and final season having been cut short due to the pandemic shutting down production.
Already an accomplished actress long before “Empire,” Henson’s star has only risen since the show debuted. She recently starred in the Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures” and previously starred in hits like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Hustle & Flow,” and “Think Like a Man.” She earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in “Benjamin Button.”
Source: Variety
Quintessa Swindell Joins New Superhero Film ‘Black Adam’ With Dwayne Johnson As Cyclone
Dwayne Johnson is starring in the DC-based action-adventure thriller.
The Justice Society in New Line and Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam movie is getting hit by a twister.
Quintessa Swindell, one of the stars of Netflix’s Trinkets, has nabbed the whirlwind role of DC hero Cyclone in the action-adventure thriller featuring the DC Comics anti-hero starring Johnson.
The A-lister is playing the titular anti-hero, one of DC’s most popular characters, with the movie project introducing members of the Justice Society, historically DC’s precursor to the Justice League and having a multi-generational super-powered lineage. The team is being refashioned for the big-screen. Already on board are Aldis Hodge as Hawkman and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher. Additionally, Sarah Shahi has supporting role.
In the comics, Cyclone is Maxine Hunkell, the granddaughter of the original Red Tornado, a female character introduced in 1940. The more well-known Red Tornado was created decades later and is an android with wind-related powers. Cyclone has wind and sound-generating powers.
Plot details for the project are being kept under wraps. Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani wrote the latest draft; Adam Sztykiel wrote the previous draft.
Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Johnson alongside Emily Blunt in Disney’s upcoming adventure movie Jungle Cruise, is directing.
Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions are producing with Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo. FlynnPictureCo’s Scott Sheldon will serve as executive producer.
Swindell, who is non-binary and uses them/they pronouns, is currently filming opposite Uzo Aduba in the new season of HBO’s In Treatment. They are a breakout star of the hit Netflix series Trinkets and also had a memorable turn in the HBO’s acclaimed series Euphoria. In the can is the Neil Burger feature Voyagers opposite Colin Farrell and Tye Sheridan, which Lionsgate hopes to release next year.
Swindell is repped by Gersh.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
President Barak Obama Return’s To ‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’
Trevor Noah welcomes back former President Barack Obama to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15. The in-depth interview was recorded over the weekend and will air on The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm ET/PT on Comedy Central. The interview will also be available on all of the series’ social platforms, including The Daily Show’s YouTube channel.
President Obama returns to The Daily Show to discuss his new memoir “A Promised Land” which chronicles the first four years of his presidency. Previously, Trevor interviewed President Obama at the White House as one of the final interviews he conducted as president.
The Daily Social Distancing Show has featured a diverse range of influential voices to explore some of the most critical issues facing society including key political leaders – President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senators Tim Scott, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and John Tester, Governors Larry Hogan, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and Phil Murphy; Mayors Lori Lightfoot, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Eric Garcetti and Michael Tubbs; Bill Gates, Stacey Abrams, and more.
Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, ‘Friday’ Actor Passes Away From Complications From Covid 19
Tommy “Tiny” Lister, who appeared in “Friday” and “The Fifth Element” and was also a professional wrestler, died Thursday, his manager Cindy Cowan confirmed.
Cowan said he was found unresponsive in his apartment in Marina del Rey, Calif. after displaying symptoms of COVID-19 in recent days. He had been working on a film and had to cancel shooting after falling ill, Cowan said.
“He was a wonderful guy with a heart of gold. Everyone loved him. A real gentle giant,” she said, “We’re all devastated.”
Lister wrestled Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation after appearing as Zeus in 1989’s “No Holds Barred.” He later spent time in World Championship Wrestling, where he was billed as Z-Gangsta.
The actor, who was blind in his right eye, played the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 “Friday” and appeared in the sequel “Next Friday.”
His other appearances include playing a prisoner in “The Dark Knight,” and the bail agent in “Jackie Brown,” as well as roles in “The Players Club,” Ice Cube’s directing debut and Mario Van Peeble’s “Posse.” He had a supporting role in “Zootopia” as the voice of the fennec fox, in Adam Sandler’s “Little Nicky” as Nicky’s brother Cassius, and in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” In “The Fifth Element,” he played the Galactic President.
In the pilot of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” he played Klaang, the first Klingon to make contact with humans. Also on television, he appeared as Mr. Matlock’s bodyguard in “Matlock” and on “In the Heat of the Night.”
Lister appeared in music videos for French Montana, 50 Cent, Sublime, Ice Cube, Chamillionaire and Young Bleed.
The 6 foot 5 inch Lister grew up in Compton, Calif. and won the national shot put title in college, briefly playing football before deciding to become an actor.
He is survived by a daughter.
Source: Variety
Taraji P. Henson To Make Directorial Debut For New Comedy Film ‘Two Faced’
Taraji P. Henson will make her feature film directorial debut on the high school comedy “Two-Faced” for Bron Studios, in addition to producing and starring in the movie.
“Two-Faced” follows Joy, a Black high school senior whose chances to attend the college of her dreams are threatened by her wildly popular and charismatic school principal after she confronts him with evidence of his racist past. With the help of her friends, the student sets out to expose the principal but quickly learns that he is not above waging all-out-war against the students trying to take him down.
Henson will star in the film as the mother of the student. She will direct from a script by Cat Wilkins, who recently graduated from the MFA Screenwriting Program at UCLA and won first place in the feature comedy category at the 2020 UCLA Screenwriters Showcase for “Two-Faced.”
Henson and her TPH Entertainment will produce with Aaron L. Gilbert on behalf of Bron and Tim Story on behalf of The Story Company, as well as Sharla Sumpter Bridgett. Wilkins will executive produce with Christine Conley and Trent Hubbard.
“After two decades spent in front of the camera, I’m thrilled to finally jump behind it for my feature directorial debut!” Henson said. “What first attracted me to this project was Joy – she is the character I needed to see in films growing up, but never had. It’s important that stories be told from a woman’s point of view and partnering with Bron Studios and the amazingly talented Tim Story — both whom use their platforms to help elevate women and people of color — feels like the perfect match. I can’t wait to bring this hilariously heartfelt script by Cat Wilkins to life!”
Henson worked with Story in the “Think Like a Man” movies. She was nominated for an Academy Award in the best-supporting actress category for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and received three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe for her role as Cookie in “Empire.” Other credits include “Hidden Figures,” “What Men Want,” “Best of Enemies” and “Coffee & Kareem.” She recently announced her production company, TPH Entertainment, which has a first-look deal with Twentieth Century Fox TV with its first project being a spinoff series for Henson’s “Empire” character Cookie.
“Taraji is an important voice in the world and Bron is thrilled to support her directorial debut, of a script from Cat Wilkins, that through its comedic elements examines race and culture in America,” Gilbert said. “We also look forward to working with Taraji’s long-time collaborator Tim Story and the rest of the team behind the film.”
Bron Releasing and UTA Independent Film Group will oversee film sales and distribution.
Henson is represented by M88, UTA, Ziffren Brittenham and The Lede Company. Wilkins is represented by UTA and Echo Lake Entertainment. Story and The Story Company are repped by UTA, Ziffren Brittenham and The Collins Jackson Agency.
Source: Variety
