Octavia Spencer Joins Riz Ahmed For New Amazon Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Invasion’
Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer have been cast in Invasion, a sci-fi thriller pic from BAFTA-winning UK filmmaker Michael Pearce (Beast).
We can also reveal that Amazon Studios has taken worldwide rights to the project and will produce alongside American Animals outfit Raw and UK funder Film4, which backed development.
The script is written by Pearce with Joe Barton (The Ritual). It follows two young brothers who go on the run with their father, a decorated Marine, who is trying to protect them from an unhuman threat. As the journey takes them in increasingly dangerous and unexpected directions, the boys will need to confront hard truths and leave their childhood behind. Ahmed is playing the Marine while Spencer is a probation officer who helps to bring him home. The film is aiming to shoot in the States this year.
Producers are Raw’s Dimitri Doganis (Three Identical Strangers), Piers Vellacott (American Animals) and Derrin Schlesinger (The Nest). Film4’s Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden and Julia Oh are executive producing. Kate Churchill and Jenny Hinkey will also executive produce.
Pearce’s Beast, which was a breakout film for stars Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, scored the director an Outstanding Debut BAFTA alongside producer Lauren Dark (now senior commissioner at Film4).
Ahmed is coming off Sound Of Metal, which Amazon will release in the U.S. later this year, and 2020 Berlin premiere Mogul Mowgli. He is an Emmy-winner and Golden Globe nominee for HBO series The Night Of.
Oscar-winning actress Spencer picked up her first Emmy nomination last night for her lead role in Self-Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam CJ Walker. Next year, she will be seen starring opposite Anne Hathaway in The Witches which is based on the popular Roald Dahl novel of the same name. Additional upcoming credits include Thunder Force for Netflix alongside Melissa McCarthy and the second season of Truth Be Told for Apple.
Spencer is represented by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Ahmed is at WME, Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman and Gordon and French. Pearce is at WME and Independent.
Source: Deadline
Netflix To Premiere Jamie Foxx’s ‘Project Power’ Film In August
We just discovered the news that Netflix will Premiere Jamie Foxx‘s new film “Project Power” on August 14th.
Here’s the film synopsis; On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.
Set primarily over the course of a single day and night in New Orleans, “Project Power” follows an unlikely triumvirate of heroes as they seek to take down Teleios, a shady government organization responsible for the creation of Power — a pill that can either give its users a bespoke, DNA-based superpower for a total of five minutes, or kill them instantly.
Aisha Tyler To Host ‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys’ For Amazon Prime- The After-Show Of The Hit ‘The Boys’
“The Boys” will be back once again — Amazon Prime Video has renewed the superhero and vigilante drama for a third season, the streamer announced Thursday.
Additionally, the second season will deliver an after-show entitled “Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys,” hosted and executive produced by Aisha Tyler. While the second season of “The Boys” premieres on Sept. 4, delivering three episodes at launch with the subsequent five dropping weekly through Oct. 9, the after-show will start on Aug. 28 with a look back at the series so far.
“Eric Kripke and the incredible cast of ‘The Boys’ continue to deliver a wild and action-packed series full of surprises and can’t-miss moments that have made the series a global hit,” said Vernon Sanders, co-head of television, Amazon Studios. “We couldn’t be more excited to see where Eric takes ‘The Boys’ and the supes in Season 3, and to have Aisha Tyler join ‘The Boys’ family as the host of ‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys.’”
Added Jeffrey Frost, president, Sony Pictures Television Studios: “‘The Boys’ is unlike any other show on television. It’s incredibly entertaining and compelling and elevates genre programming to a whole new level. We’re very excited about Season 3 as we know Eric Kripke and this incredibly talented cast are going to raise the bar even higher. And ‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys’ is the perfect show to bring it all home.”
In a statement creator and showrunner Eric Kripke said the writers’ room is already up and running (virtually) for the new season.
“The world has given us way too much material. We hope to be shooting in early 2021, but that’s up to a microscopic virus,” he said.
Addressing the after-show, Kripke noted that the “double entendre” of the title was intended. “It’s a deep dive into how we make this insane thing. Seriously, thanks to Sony, Amazon and the fans. We love making this show so much, and we’re thrilled we get to make more.”
Added Tyler: “‘The Boys’ is one of the smartest, most irreverent, unapologetically badass shows streaming. I became a fan during Season 1 and this season I’m stoked to be flying fans into the heart of the show as host of ‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys’ Season 2 is bigger, badder, and more audacious than ever before, so join me after every episode as we dig through the rubble pile of our feelings. I promise, we’ll get through it like ‘The Boys’ — dysfunctional, but together.”
The second season of “The Boys” sees the titular vigilantes on the run and hunted by the superheroes (or “supes,” as the show calls them). Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) are in hiding after the explosive events of the first season finale, while Butcher (Karl Urban) is off on his own for a bit. Meanwhile, Homelander (Antony Starr) is trying to expand his power in a few new ways and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) is trying to navigate her own place in the Seven as the group shifts. Stormfront (Aya Cash), a social-media savvy new supe, comes in with an agenda of her own, while a larger threat looms, leaving Vought seeking to capitalize on the nation’s paranoia.
“Our show wants you to question superheroes, and therefore fascism and authoritarianism, because they’re closely related,” Kripke tells Variety. “Strongmen tell the public they’re the only ones who can save them. They use the media and their own celebrity to manipulate the masses and shout down any dissenters. I think one downside of the glut of superhero media is that it trains the audience to adulate figures who seem strong, to wait for these figures to solve their problems. When the truth is, anyone who says they can save you is a liar and a con man. Real heroism is a thousand tiny gestures, boring and painful, performed by us all. We have to save ourselves.”
“The Boys” is based on the best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, and produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios with Point Grey Pictures, Kripke Enterprises and Original Film. Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford and Nathan Mitchell also star, with Claudia Doumit, Goran Visnijc, Malcolm Barrett, Colby Minifie, Shantel VanSanten, Cameron Crovetti, PJ Byrne, Laila Robbins and Giancarlo Esposito recurring.
‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys” is executive produced by Michael Davies, Tyler, Julia Cassidy, Eden Sutley and Jennifer Ryan. Amazon Studios, Embassy Row and Sony Pictures Television produce.
Source: Variety
Damon Williams Lands Unscripted Comedy Stand-Up On New Streaming Service UrbanFlixTV
Damon Williams is bringing all the laughter with his upcoming comedy series, “Laugh Tonight with Damon Williams”, airing exclusively on UrbanFlixTV, a newly launched streaming service. The subscription-based platform is setting itself apart with entertaining and unique stories, exclusive content featuring diverse casts and themes, not just for some of us—but for all of us.
As one of the elite comics in the nation, Damon’s material is universal and there’s something for all ages. The unscripted stand-up comedy series will feature Damon Williams and an exciting mix of some of the hottest comics around such as Correy Bell, Atsuko Okatsuka, Leonard Ouzts, Daphnique Springs, Kira Soltanovich and Mark Viera, to name a few.
“UrbanFlixTV is at the forefront of inclusive, imaginative entertainment,” said CEO Kevin Griffo. “The word ‘urban’ means relating to a city, and we are all from different cities with different cultures. We at UrbanFlixTV are proud to welcome Damon and comics alike to the content we’re making as a reflection of those differences.”
Williams holds over 25 years in the industry and boasts of his start as a former Subway sandwich shop owner from Chicago, IL who began his comedy career at All Jokes Aside Comedy Club. He is popularly known for his own one-hour special on BET’s Comic View dating back to 1994, and has been featured on Def Comedy Jam, BET Live, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, the Kings of Comedy tour, The Tom Joyner Sky Show on TV ONE, Shaq’s Comedy and HBO’s P.Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy.
Damon is no stranger to the industry and more recently stars in the upcoming movie “White People Money” with Drew Sidora and Barton Fitzpatrick. He co-hosts the Sam Sylk Radio Show on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hosts Happy Hour Live on his Instagram every day to connect with his fans. Guests have included Tiffany Haddish, Deon Cole, Luenelle, KEM, George Wallace, J. Anthony Brown, and more. He also makes regular appearances nationwide and features nationally known comedians and up & coming talent at his comedy club in Chicago.
Viewers can catch Damon and his cast in action with ad-free content 24/7 for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, along with a complimentary 7-day free trial by signing up at Urbanflixtv.com.
George Lopez To Star In New Series Titled ‘Once Upon a Time in Aztlan’ For STXTV
In what is expected to be a hot TV package, STXtv is bringing Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, a new TV series anchored by George Lopez, famed photographer Estevan Oriol and iconic Los Angeles-based artist Mister Cartoon aka Mark Machado to the market. Michael Connolly, under his Mad Hatter Entertainment banner, brought the elements together. Lopez is in final talks to star and executive produce through his Travieso Productions, and Javier Rodriguez will pen the pilot. Oriol and Cartoon also will exec produce.
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Cartoon, Estevan, Jada and Michael for this series and developing a show with STXtv,” Lopez said. “Cartoon and Estevan are the DaVincis of our community; they have been the street chroniclers of our uniquely Chicano story … our American story. I’m looking forward to working with them and the rest of the team to expand their canvas to capture the diverse stories and people that make our culture and community so amazing, colorful and vibrant.”
This authentic L.A.-based series examines a family coming to terms with the falsehoods of the American dream and their ability to defy expectations.
“I want to create a vision of Los Angeles inspired by my tattoos and murals that enriches and showcases the culture, opening it up to new audiences,” Cartoon said. “Putting together the dream team of Latino street culture and a collection of creative minds headed up by George Lopez, who is born and raised in L.A. and is an icon of our community. George’s experience and sense of humor acts as a foundation for this team.”
The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders. During that production, he worked closely with Oriol and Cartoon, who also were involved in the production. Oriol and Cartoon’s longtime collaborators Mark Suroff and Marco Valadez, who produced LA Originals, also will serve as executive producers with Connolly.
“I’m Looking forward to developing this with Cartoon, George, Jada and Michael,” said Oriol. “STXtv truly gets what it takes to develop a real show that can only be made in LA. This is the dream team. Period. It doesn’t get more authentic than this and I’m proud and privileged to be invited on this ride.”
Lopez has done some TV in recent years including a talk show that ran from 2009-11, but this would mark his first major TV show since hit comedy George Lopez ended in 2007. While that show ran on ABC, STXtv will zero in on buyers in the cable and streaming markets.
Cartoon is L.A.’s legendary tattoo artist, designer and cultural icon whose stylish and influential global work has been featured on countless celebrities including Kobe Bryant, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Lewis Hamilton, Snoop Dogg and many others. Cartoon also designed the logos for Cypress Hill and Eminem’s Shady Records, and his résumé includes cutting-edge designs for Nike, the LA Clippers and T-Mobile and others.
Oriol is an internationally celebrated photographer, director and urban lifestyle entrepreneur. Beginning as a tour manager for Cypress Hill and House of Pain, he developed a passion for photography as he documented life on the road to become hip-hop’s best-known chronicler; his work has been showcased in bestselling books, select galleries, and institutions, including the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives, Mesa Contemporary Art Center, Petersen Automotive Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’ and New York’s Art in the Streets exhibit. He has photographed Eminem, Kim Kardashian, Cypress Hill, Dennis Hopper, Blink-182, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Danny Trejo, among many others. He most recently executive produced the film Lowriders and directed the hit Netflix documentary L.A. Originals.
The L.A. Originals was critically acclaimed and extremely successful, introducing new fans to the world to Oriol and Cartoon.
Connolly is an executive producer on the upcoming Amazon anthology horror series Them with Lena Waithe. He executive produced Hemlock Grove for Netflix and The Son for AMC. On the feature side, Connolly co-produces the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The deal also reunites Lopez with Jada Miranda, who runs scripted series at STXtv and oversaw the hit series The George Lopez Show while a programmer at ABC Network.
“Javier’s script has brilliantly brought to life these characters and this place that is all at once raw, hopeful, and entertaining,” said Connolly.
Rodríguez who has sold pitches to Fox, WBTV, 20th TV with America Ferrera, and Sony Pictures TV.
Source: Deadline
Leslie Jones To Host The 2020 Emmy Awards Nominations
“Saturday Night Live” alum and upcoming “Supermarket Sweep” revival host Leslie Jones has been tapped to host the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, the Television Academy announced Thursday.
Actors Laverne Cox (“Orange is the New Black”), Josh Gad (“Avenue 5,” “Central Park”) and Tatiana Maslany (“Perry Mason”) are also on board as presenters.
Nominations for this year’s awards will be announced live July 28 beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT, streaming on emmys.com. This year, the event will be a virtual one, due to production restrictions ad health and safety guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Television has played an integral role in navigating these unprecedented times and has brought us together as we remain apart,” said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO, Television Academy. “We are honored to have these groundbreaking actors, producers and comedians announce this year’s Emmy nominees — whose extraordinary work has been vital to the evolution of the television landscape this season.”
This year the voting calendar shifted, also due to the coronavirus pandemic. Voting members of the Television Academy had from July 2 to July 13 to look over the nominations-round ballots and make their selections. Some categories saw record-high number of submissions, with drama series clocking in at 197 and comedy series at 111.
The 72nd Emmy Awards will be produced once again by Done+Dusted. Reginald Hudlin, Guy Carrington, David Jammy, Ian Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel serve as executive producers. Kimmel will also return to host after last year’s ceremony opted to go without a host at all. The show will air live Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC.
Source: Variety
A New ‘Empire’ Spinoff Starring Taraji P. Henson To Land On FOX
The world of Empire will continue at Fox.
The independent broadcast network is re-teaming with Taraji P. Henson for an untitled Empire spinoff, with the actress behind Cookie Lyon reprising her role in the potential series. The offshoot, which is in development, is the first project to stem from a newly signed two-year, first-look deal that Henson has signed with Empire producers 20th Century Fox TV. Henson’s newly launched production company, TPH Entertainment, will also produce the Empire spinoff, which will follow what’s next for Cookie. Former vp television at Working Title Christine Conley will partner with Henson to run TPH.
Danny Strong — who co-created Empire with Lee Daniels — will be joined by the franchise’s Yolanda Lawrence and Stacy Littlejohn to co-write the series. All three will serve as co-showrunners. Sanaa Hamri is also attached to direct. Henson will also exec produce alongside Strong, Daniels, Littlejohn, Lawrence and Hamri. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Samie Falvey will also return to exec produce the spinoff. The drama, like the flagship, hails from the now Disney-owned 20th TV. While official plot details remain under wraps, sources tell THR the spinoff will follow Cookie as she moves to L.A., and potentially feature some of her other family members.
Sources say the spinoff could also help Empire come to a proper conclusion after its series finale was unable to be produced before the industry-wide production shutdown. In announcing that the series finale would not be able to be filmed, Empire co-creators Daniels and Strong left the door open for a potential follow-up, with rumors of the Henson-led spinoff circulating in industry circles for months.
“I believe that normalizing stories around stigmatizing matters will make them more palatable for audiences to embrace,” Henson said. “Art can change perception and I plan to develop projects that can help further the conversation. I also aim to help cultivate and establish new young talent and their stories because they are our future and deserve a voice and a platform to be heard. I’m so excited to have 20th, led by the talented Carolyn Cassidy, support me in this new endeavor!”
Added Cassidy, president of 20th TV: “We were lucky to have a front row seat to Taraji’s meteoric rise as a fixture on television through Empire. Through that relationship everyone at the company grew to appreciate her passion for storytelling and her strong creative gut instinct. With Empire finished we look forward to helping her explore stories that need to be told through her talent and advocacy.”
The Henson-led drama arrives as Daniels has been open for years about wanting to do an Empire spinoff. Daniels previously co-created music drama Star, which existed in the same world as Empire but was not technically considered a spinoff despite the fact that both shows often crossed over. That series ran for three seasons before being canceled last year (much to Daniels’ chagrin). In 2017, there had been rumors of an Empire prequel series focused around a young version of Henson’s Cookie. That project was never ordered, though Henson was open about her interest in remaining a part of the Empire world for as long as possible.
Henson is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham. Conley, who spent four years working in physical production before turning to development roles at Working Title (Gypsy, About a Boy), is repped by attorney Patti Felker.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Yara Shahidi Signs Overall Deal With ABC Studios
Yara Shahidi is making a home at ABC Studios.
The Grown-ish star, who recently was upped to executive producer as well, has signed an overall deal with the Disney Television Studios unit. Shahidi and her mother and business partner, Keri Shahidi, have formed production company 7th Sun to develop scripted and unscripted projects for ABC Studios.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with my home family, ABC Studios, in this exciting next chapter, alongside my family,” Yara Shahidi said in a statement. “It’s exciting to add our production company to the roster of my peers and mentors who are also actively committed to sharing meaningful stories.”
Added ABC Studios president Jonnie Davis: “We can’t wait to extend and expand our relationship with the incredibly talented Yara Shahidi, who has been a member of the family since Black-ish. When she’s not studying at Harvard and starring in our series Grown-ish, she’s mentoring and inspiring other young people, which makes us all feel like underachievers but also very proud that she’s part of our studio.”
Shahidi was a regular on Black-ish for the ABC comedy’s first two seasons before moving on to lead the spinoff Grown-ish — which has been renewed for a fourth season — on Freeform. The series ranked as the top live-action cable comedy of 2019-20 among African American adults 18-34, and under the guidance of creator Kenya Barris, Shahidi became the youngest producer at the network.
“Yara is a force,” said Barris. “She is insanely talented, unreasonably smart and hardworking beyond compare. I’ve called her ‘McMogul’ for years, and seeing all that she has accomplished should come as no surprise to anyone that knows her. This deal is just the beginning for Yara, and I’m excited to see where she takes this next chapter and the storyteller she becomes.”
The Shadidis’ 7th Sun will seek out projects that touch on themes of history, heritage, culture and joy, and that elevate underrepresented voices. The company has hired former NBC International executive Lajoie St. George to lead development.
Yara and Keri Shahidi are repped by CAA, Principal Entertainment and attorney Ryan Nord. They join a lineup of creatives at the studio that includes LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment, Danai Gurira, Kerry Washington, Liz Tigelaar, Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and Aline Brosh McKenna, among others.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The Hilarious Trailer For ‘Saturday Night Live’ Writer Sam Jay’s New Comedy Special Just Dropped
Allow us to introduce you to Sam Jay.
The hilarious queer comedian, who’s earned her stripes writing for Saturday Night Live (even earning an Emmy Award nod) is out with her first-ever hourlong comedy special, 3 In The Morning. And ESSENCE has your first look at the trailer.
Filmed pre-corona in Atlanta’s The Masquerade, Jay keeps it all the way real when it comes to living authentically in a world steeped in masculinity that just can never mind its business.
In the trailer, the Boston-bred comic turns a simple story of being at the airport with her girlfriend into a hilarious play-by-play. (I won’t even try to retell here. Let Jay tell you herself.)
The comedian announced that she was getting her own Netflix comedy special last week on Instagram with a throwback photo.
“Aw damn this little mother f–ker cute and she grew up to have a Netflix special,” Jay wrote in the caption. “Wow 3 in the Morning drops August 4th hoooooeeeeesssss!!! Awww damn.”
Jay, who was raised in Boston, returned to the northern city to pursue comedy in 2011, according to the Boston Globe. Since then, she’s shared comedy stages with Hannibal Buress, written for Eddie Murphy on SNL and made her late night TV debut on Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel. In 2018, the same year she dropped her own comedy album, Donna’s Daughter, she was also featured in Netflix’s special, The Comedy Lineup Part 1, alongside Michelle Buteau.
Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning hits Netflix on August 4.
D.L. Hughley Slams Kanye West For Diminishing Harriet Tubman
D.L. Hughley sounded off on Kanye’s comments about Harriet Tubman that he made while speaking to a crowd in North Charleston, South Carolina over the weekend.
D.L. started out by stating that Kanye’s rants over the years have been seemingly calculated to coincide with the upcoming release of his music and fashion projects. He then pointed out that Kanye always targets a Black person in his rants, and D.L. said he’s tired of Kanye putting an asterisk by the names of prominent Black figures. From there, he slammed Kanye for saying Harriet Tubman didn’t free slaves, and D.L. praised Tubman for personifying “Black Girl Magic.”
D.L. ended his statement by reiterating his claims that Kanye is the same kind of person as Trump, which he spoke about during a recent appearance on “The View.” Hughley stated, “They’re the same type of men. They both are amoral, they both are narcissistic, neither reads. So I think they’re exactly the same.”
