Will Smith To Play Venus and Serena Williams’ Dad In ‘King Richard’
Will Smith will play Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in the movie “King Richard.”
The film, based on a script by Zach Baylin, will center on Richard Williams overcoming hardship, skepticism, controversy, and his own troubled past to instruct his daughters, starting when they were four years old on the tennis courts of Compton, Calif. — despite not having a background in tennis. Baylin’s script was runner-up on the 2018 Black List.
Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, starting with the US Open in 1999. Venus has seven Grand Slam singles, starting with Wimbledon in 2000. The sisters have combined for 14 Grand Slam doubles championships.
Tim and Trevor White will produce under their Star Thrower Entertainment banner, which has backed “The Post,” “Wind River,” and “Ingrid Goes West.” Smith will also produce under his Overbrook Entertainment company. The executive producers include Allan Mandelbaum from Star Thrower Entertainment and Caleeb Pinkett from Overbrook Entertainment. The co-producers include Mary Solomon and Rick Rickertsen.
Smith is currently in production on “Bad Boys for Life,” the third installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise. Variety exclusively reported last week that he would not return as Deadshot for the the next installment in Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad” franchise.
Source: Variety
Chris Rock To Direct Kenan Thompson Comedy Pilot At NBC Titled ‘Saving Kenan’
Chris Rock has come onboard to direct the NBC single-cam comedy pilot “Saving Kenan,” Variety has learned.
Rock will also executive produce the pilot, which stars “SNL” mainstay Kenan Thompson. Thompson will play a newly widowed dad determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become more involved in their lives
Rock is best known for his work as a stand up comedian and actor, but he has directed multiple projects throughout his career. He previously directed himself in the films “Head of State,” “I Think I Love My Wife, and “Top Five,” all three of which he also wrote or co-wrote. He also directed an episode of the CW series “Everybody Hates Chris,” which he co-created with Ali LeRoi and was based on Rock’s own childhood. Most recently, he directed the comedy special “Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo.” Rock has also served as an executive producer on shows like “The Rundown with Robin Thede” and “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.”
Source: Variety
Tracy Morgan Leads An All Star Cast For New Animated Scooby Doo Film
Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G.) and Frank Welker are going for a ride in the Mystery Machine.
The actors have closed deals to voice star in the as-yet-untitled Scooby-Doo animated movie being made by Warner Bros. and its Warner Animation Group division.
Tony Cervone is directing the feature, which counts Chris Columbus, Charles Roven and Allison Abbate as producers.
The project brings the mysterious and borderline supernatural hijinks of four teens and their (borderline) talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, to the big screen for the first time since 2004’s live-action Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Rodriguez will voice Velma, known as the brains of the group. Forte will voice Shaggy, the scaredy-cat slacker who is best friends with Scooby. Morgan will voice a character not part of the Scooby universe, but rather part of the larger Hanna-Barbera cartoon universe, Captain Caveman.
The story sees the Mystery Inc. gang join forces with other heroes of the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from Dick Dastardly and his evil plans…and this time, we are told, the threat is real. The movie is slated for a May 2020 release.
Rodriguez, who in 2018 appeared with Natalie Portman in the sci-fi thriller Annihilation, voiced a character in Smallfoot, an animated offering from Warner’s animated arm, WAG. She is repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman.
Forte, who for a decade appeared on Saturday Night Live, recently voiced the part of Abraham Lincoln in Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. He recently wrapped a dramatic role in Laundromat, directed by Steven Soderbergh and also starring Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman.
SNL and 30 Rock alum Morgan will voice Captain Caveman. He also has the Netflix animated series Green Eggs and Ham coming up.
Veteran voice actor Welker’s relationship with Scooby-Doo dates to originating the role of Fred on the 1969-1970 series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Kevin Hart-Produced Comedy Series With Rapper Lil Dicky Set at FX
FX has picked up a comedy series starring comedian and rapper Lil Dicky, with Kevin Hart as one of its executive producers.
In the untitled show, Lil Dicky, aka Dave Burd, will play a suburban guy in his late 20s who becomes convinced he’s destined to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Now he must convince his closest friends, because with their help, he might actually convince the world.
“Not only has Dave Burd cemented his place in the rap community, but he’s now poised to take over TV with his infectious comedic sensibility in his own series,” said Nick Grad, president original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. “We’re thrilled to have partnered with an impressive creative team featuring Jeff Schaffer, Saladin Patterson, Kevin Hart, Greg Mottola and Scooter Braun to bring the story of Lil Dicky to TV audiences.”
Added Burd, “I’m so thankful for everyone who made this possible. It really is what I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. I love making people laugh, it’s my favorite thing ever. And even though I’m still fully in love with and committed to my career as a rapper, I’m excited to write jokes that don’t need to rhyme every time. Ugh, that rhymed.”
Burd’s first video as Lil Dicky, “Ex-Boyfriend,” went viral after its release in 2013, and he’s built on that fame ever since. His most recent single, “Freaky Friday,” has racked up more than a billion streams and has gone multiplatinum. His 2015 album Professional Rapper debuted at No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on the comedy and rap charts.
The Lil Dicky series is the first TV project for Hart since the controversy over his aborted gig as host of the Oscars. He stepped down two days after being named host in December after old tweets in which he used homophobic slurs surfaced.
The controversy does not appear to have affected the comedian’s workload. He signed a deal for two comedy movies with STXfilms and has also booked starring and producing roles in Lionsgate’s Monopoly movie and Sony’s Fatherhood.
The Lil Dicky series is co-created by Burd and Schaffer (The League). They executive produce with Patterson (The Big Bang Theory, The Last O.G.), Hart (via his HartBeat Productions), Mottola, Marty Bowen, Mike Hertz and Scooter Braun, James Shin and Scott Manson of SB Projects. The series comes from FX Productions.
It joins recent FX additions What We Do in the Shadows, which premieres March 27; limited series Fosse/Verdon, coming in April; and Y: The Last Man, which is set to debut in 2020. The cable network is also facing a year without several of its high-profile shows: New seasons of Atlanta, Fargo and American Crime Story aren’t expected until 2020.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
DL Hughley Wants Terry Crews As A First Guest On The DL Hughely Show
Hughley came to TCA on a couple of weeks ago to talk about The D.L. Hughley Show, launching this month.
Asked who he would like to be his first guest, he did not hesitate: “First person I’d like to talk to: Terry Crews.”
Courtesy of NBC
Hughley has made headlines for his remarks about Crews’ #MeToo experience. A couple weeks ago, Crews hit back at the comedian during an exchange on Twitter about sexual assault, specifically how men “with all those muscles” should react if touched inappropriately.
Crews is one of the few men to share a personal #MeToo story, saying he was assaulted by now former WME agent Adam Venit during an industry party in 2016. Crews sued Venit and WME. As Deadline previously reported, the case was settled and Venit retired in September.
Hughley responded to Crews’ remarks at the TCA:
“He’s very big guy and I grew up a small guy. If you let someone do things to you, they keep doing it,” he said.
“I felt it was disingenuous of all those people from the #MeToo movement. Would they do that if he was beaten by police?”
Hughley said it bothers him that the movement got upset when Crews was “groped” but he did not see the same public outrage “when I see a young…girl get slammed down by police.”
He thought a conversation with Crews would be an interesting one to kick off his new series, which will be an extension of his radio show and air nightly in late-night.
Hughley also blasted Floyd Mayweather for going on a Gucci shopping spree the previous day.
Mayweather went shopping at Gucci in Beverly Hills, with TMZ in tow, saying he does not “give a damn” about the boycott called against the retailer for a black sweater with a high neck featuring a mouth opening lined with thick red lips, resembling blackface.
“Every person has the right to express themselves the best way they can,” Hughley told TV critics at TCA.
But, he cautioned, “If you’re a black man and you think, because you are wealthy, you are an island unto yourself, you are a fool.”
“If you are born of color on this planet you ow a debt,” Hughley said, adding, “Floyd is a guy who believes that his money and prestige will insulate him.”
Source: Deadline
Jussie Smollett Removed From Final ‘Empire’ Season 5 Episodes Following Arrest
Jussie Smollett has been removed from the final Season 5 episodes of the Fox series “Empire” in the wake of his arrest Thursday morning.
“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. Jussie has been an important member of our EMPIRE family for the past five years and we care about him deeply. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of ‘Jamal’ from the final two episodes of the season,” said series executives Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer.
Fox had previously issued multiple statements in support of Smollett, referring to him as a “consummate professional” during his time on “Empire.” The tone shifted, however, following his arrest, with the network saying they were “evaluating the situation” and “considering [their] options.”
Smollett surrendered to authorities and was arrested early Thursday morning in Chicago. He is charged with filing a false police report and disorderly conduct. The actor and musician claimed that he was the victim of an assault in the early morning hours of Jan. 29 in Chicago, stating two men hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, poured bleach on him, and placed a rope around his neck. Smollett also said that the two men used the phrase “MAGA country” during the assault, a reference to President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan.
However, investigators now believe Smollett paid two acquaintances — brothers Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo — to help him stage the attack. Police previously arrested the brothers, but they were later released without being charged. They are now cooperating with the investigation.
During a press conference Thursday morning, the Chicago PD stated they believed Smollett staged the attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on “Empire.” They also said they believe Smollett had sent a threatening letter to himself that was received at “Empire’s” Chicago production office days before the attack.
Smollett and his representatives have repeatedly denied that he staged the attack. He was released on bail on Thursday afternoon and returned to the set of “Empire.”
As Variety reported on Tuesday, Smollett could face jail time for the charges against him, with falsifying a police report being a Class 4 felony in Illinois.
Smollett has been a key cast member on “Empire” from the show’s beginning. He won significant praise when the show premiered for portraying Jamal Lyon, the gay son of music mogul Luscious Lyon.
Source: Variety
Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Producing New Movie ‘Jesus Was My Homeboy’!
Here’s a hot one. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler and Charles D. King’s MACRO (Mudbound) are producing movie Jesus Was My Homeboy, about iconic Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton, for Warner Bros.
Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya is in talks to star as activist Hampton with Atlanta and Sorry To Bother You star Lakeith Stanfield in talks to play William O’Neal, the man who betrayed Hampton to the FBI. Shaka King (Newlyweeds) will direct and produce from a script he wrote with Will Berson (Sea Oak).
The film will follow the rise and untimely demise of Hampton as seen through O’Neal’s eyes. It will explore how the FBI infiltrated the Black Panthers, the psychology of their informant and the notorious assassination of the young political leader who died aged only 21.
Executive producers are Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler and MACRO’s Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks.
Hampton was a respected and talented grass-roots civil rights activist who rose to become chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Panthers organization and deputy chairman of the national BPP. But his charisma, oratorial skills and swift ascent marked him out as a threat in the eyes of the FBI and in 1969 he and fellow Panther Mark Clark were killed during a controversial raid by a tactical unit carrying out orders from the Chicago Police Department and the FBI. O’Neill had provided the FBI with detailed plans of Hampton’s apartment.
The deaths were initially ruled justifiable homicide and the police claimed the Panthers had initiated hostilities, but a number of investigations pointed to state-sponsored assassination and subsequent civil lawsuits led to settlements by law enforcement and Illinois’ Cook County. Thousands attended Hampton’s funeral and he was eulogized by African American leaders including Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy. O’Neal remained haunted by his part in Hampton’s death until his mysterious suicide in 1990.
Widows and Black Panther star Kaluuya is currently filming Universal’s Queen And Slim. Atlanta and Sorry To Bother You star Stanfield recently shot Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.
Coogler is producing upcoming Warner Bros pic Space Jam 2 and is also lining up the sequel to global smash Black Panther, while MACRO’s upcoming slate includes Netflix series Raising Dion and Netflix film Tigertail.
Director King made his feature debut with 2013 comedy-drama Newlyweeds and more recently was a director on HBO series High Maintenance and writer on HBO’s Random Acts Of Flyness.
Source: Deadline
Jussie Smollett Cut From ‘Empire’ Episodes As Attack Probe Continues
As the Chicago police investigation into what really happened to Jussie Smollett in the alleged assault last month intensifies its focus on the Empire actor, the Fox drama is cutting the performer out of the action.
Deadline has confirmed with well-placed sources that Smollett’s scenes in episodes of the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong co-created series are being slashed for production on Empire this week.
While the show is back at work today in the Windy City after the long weekend, Smollett will be a rare presence on the set of the Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard led show.
The actor has also been absent as Chicago PD request another interview with him. As Smollett himself has become the subject of deeper inquiry into the supposed assault that occurred in the early hours of January 29, detectives want to know more about the actor’s version of what happened that day on the streets of Chicago and any possible knowledge he may have to indicate the incident could have been preplanned.
The widely condemned attack was previously described as a racist and homophobic barrage that left Smollett beaten, drenched in bleach and with a rope slung around his neck. Openly gay, Smollett portrays the openly gay Jamal Lyon on Empire.
Now the reality appears to be more complex or at least convoluted.
There are no plans right now to make any changes to the remaining episodes of the fifth season of Empire that are already in the can, I hear.
Yet, despite the strongly expressed renewed support by Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney on February 17, upcoming episodes have seen serious rewrites in recent days to reduce the increasingly besieged Smollett’s role both in dramatic stints and musical performances.
Empire returns for the remainder of its fifth season on March 13.
Fox had no comment on Smollett’s scenes being cut, nor would the network confirm any such reports, as first noted by TMZ earlier Tuesday. Reps for the lawyered-up Smollett did not return request for comment by Deadline.
While Smollett is not considered a formal suspect at present, prosecutors and law enforcement authorities are seeking to be enlightened by him about his private relationship with Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo.
The brothers were previously described by Chicago police as “potential suspects” in the attack and arrested last week. Identified as the individuals in the photos of “persons of interest” in the Smollett case, the two were held without charge for 48 hours and then let go on the night of February 15.
Formerly Empire extras, the Osundario siblings, at least one of whom had been Smollett’s personal trainer, are now “fully” cooperating with authorities. They have sat for a number of interviews with police in recent days.
Source: Deadline
The Upcoming ‘Coming To America’ Sequel Now Has A Release Date
The sequel to Coming to America has gotten a release date!
The sequel starring Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem will come to theaters Aug. 7, 2020. As previously reported, Craig Brewer has been tapped to direct from a script written by Kenya Barris and the original Coming to America writers, David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein.
The plot of the sequel involves Akeem learning he has a long-lost son in America. He must go back to America to find his son and take him back home to become the next heir to the throne.
Barris will executive produce. Murphy will also produce as well as Kevin Misher. Many of the original cast members are expected to return including Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley and John Amos.
Source: Shadow & Act
A Prequel Of ‘Black-Ish’ In Early Development
It’s very early in the game, but a possible third black-ish spinoff is in early development at ABC.
As a prequel, it would revolve around a young version of Tracee Ellis Ross’ character, Rainbow Johnson. Right now, a young version of Bow will be the subject of an episode that will be filmed in March. It could potentially work as a backdoor pilot.
No casting has been done yet and ABC is still working to tap writers for it. This would be the second spinoff of the series after the Yara Shahidi-fronted grown-ish at Freeform (originally developed for ABC).
Deadline notes that if the series does end up going to series, black-ish creator Kenya Barris would be an exec producer, but not have much day-to-day involvement with the show creatively as he is now under an overall deal at Netflix.
