Jermaine Fowler Returning To CBS With ‘Quinta & Jermaine’
Superior Donuts alum Jermaine Fowler is returning to CBS with a new starring vehicle. The network has given a pilot production commitment to Quinta & Jermaine, a multi-camera comedy starring and executive produced by actor-comedian Fowler and Internet star Quinta Brunson (Broke) and executive produced by Insecure co-creator Larry Wilmore. The high-profile package, which netted one of the biggest comedy sales so far this season, hails from ABC Studios, which will co-produce with CBS TV Studios.
Written by Wilmore, Fowler and Brunson, Quinta & Jermaine stars the title duo as childhood best friends who find themselves expecting a child while navigating adulthood.
Photo credit Peter Yang/Comedy Central.
Wilmore, Fowler and Brunson executive produce with 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg and Josh Lieberman.
Fowler, who likely is drawing on his experience as a new father, teamed with his friend Brunson. The two collaborated on the idea of taking on parenting from a fresh perspective and partnered with Wilmore.
Fowler’s first broadcast project, the semi-autobiographical Dolores and Jermaine, which he co-wrote and starred in, also was from ABC Studios. It was set up at ABC, where it went to pilot in 2015 with Whoopi Goldberg as Dolores.
CBS has been very high on Fowler for several years now. In summer 2015, the network signed him in a rich development deal for a multi-camera starring vehicle that also included a comedy special on sibling Showtime. The pact led to Fowler’s casting in the CBS comedy pilot Superior Donuts that went to series. The sitcom also starring Judd Hirsch wrapped its two-season run in May.
Fowler, an alum of the CollegeHumor troupe, also co-created, writes and starred in TruTV’s sketch comedy Friends of the People and was featured on MTV2’s Guy Code. He is repped by WME, 3 Arts and Morris Yorn.
Brunson was one of the discoveries of last pilot season when the digital content creator and star was cast as the co-lead in the CW’s comedic drama pilot The End of the World as We Know It in her first major traditional-medium role.
CBS
Brunson, formerly of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, got her start with viral Instagram series The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date. She went on to create and star in the scripted comedy series Broke on YouTube Red. Brunson, who also has a stand-up background, wrote and executive produced workplace comedy Up for Adoption for Verizon’s go90 and Quinta vs. Everything on Facebook Watch. Brunson, who also guest starred on the final season of New Girl, is repped by ICM Partners and Generate.
Wilmore hosts Larry Wilmore: Black On The Air on The Ringer Podcast Network.He is co-creator and consulting producer of HBO’s Insecure and helped to launch ABC/ABC Studios’ Black-ish as executive producer/showrunner for the first 13 episodes. He also created and executive produced the Bernie Mac Show, which tackled parenthood. Wilmore is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Tom Hoberman.
Source: Deadline
Janelle Monáe Joins The Cast Of Focus Features’ ‘Harriet’, The Story Of Harriet Tubman
The multi-talented, Grammy Award®-nominated artist Janelle Monáe joins the cast of Focus Features’Harriet, the new feature chronicling the life of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Monáe joins the previously announced cast including Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award®-winner Cynthia Erivo as Tubman, along with Tony and Grammy Award®-winner Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, multiple Grammy Award®-winner Jennifer Nettles, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Zackary Momoh, Deborah Ayorinde, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. Awarding winning director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) is set to direct a screenplay she co-wrote with Gregory Allen Howard (Ali, Remember the Titans). Debra Martin Chase (The Princess Diaries, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) with Martin Chase Productions, Daniela Taplin Lundberg (Beasts of No Nation, The Kids are All Right) with Stay Gold Featuresand Gregory Allen Howard will produce. The film is set to begin filming this October in Virginia.
Monáe will soon be seen on screen in Robert Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen co-starring Academy Award®-nominee Steve Carrell, Emmy Award®-winner Merritt Wever, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Eiza González, and Gwendoline Christie. Her previous acting credits include the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture Moonlight and Best Picture nominee Hidden Figures.
She recently released her critically-acclaimed third solo album, “Dirty Computer” and the accompanying Dirty Computer: An Emotion Picture by Janelle Monáe. Immersed in the performing arts at a young age, Monáe founded her record label the Wondaland Arts Society releasing the EP “Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase).” Monáe previously released critically acclaimed albums “ArchAndroid” and “The Electric Lady.”
In 2016 Monáe launched Fem the Future, an initiative to create more opportunities to advance the awareness, inclusion and opportunities for women and those who identify as women through music, arts, mentorship and education.
Based on the story of iconic freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, Harriet follows Tubman on her escape from slavery and subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves through the Underground Railroad in the face of growing pre-Civil War adversity.
Focus Features and Universal Pictures International will distribute the film worldwide. Monáe is repped by WME, Manager Mikael Moore for Wondaland Management and attorneys Ziffren Brittenham.
New Trailer For ‘All American’ On The CW Starring Taye Diggs Debuts
Spencer James is a rising high school football player and A student at South Crenshaw High. Compton is the place he calls home. But when Beverly High School’s football coach Billy Baker recruits him to join his team in Beverly Hills, Spencer’s mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, convince Spencer it’s an opportunity he has to seize. Now Spencer must navigate two worlds, the south side neighborhood that he knows and the affluent Beverly Hills world that has offered him an opportunity for something bigger. When Spencer is forced to move in with Billy and his family to protect his transfer permit to Beverly, Billy’s son, Jordan (the team’s starting quarterback), is less than thrilled to be sharing his father’s attention – or the team spotlight – with Spencer. While Spencer struggles to find his footing, he makes an unlikely friend in Jordan’s sister, Olivia, who is dealing with her own demons. He also quickly develops a crush on his classmate, Layla, something her boyfriend, Asher, quickly realizes – and so, he sets out to drive Spencer off the football team and out of Beverly Hills for good.
Inspired by the life of NFL player Spencer Paysinger. ALLAMERICAN stars Daniel Ezra, Taye Diggs, Samantha Logan, Bre-Z, Greta Onieogou, Monet Mazur, Michael Evans Behling, Cody Christian and Karimah Westbrook. ALLAMERICAN is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers April Blair (“Reign”), Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” “Riverdale”), Sarah Schechter (“The Flash,” “Riverdale”) and Rob Hardy(“Power”).
“ALL AMERICAN,” premiers Wed, Oct. 10 at 9/8c.
The OWN Network Releases Trailer Of ‘Ready To Love’ Starring Nephew Tommy Of The Steve Harvey Morning Show
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network revealed the official trailer for its new dating series “Ready to Love,” from hitmaking producer Will Packer (“Night School,” “Girls Trip”). The series, hosted by Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles, is set for a two-night premiere on OWN Tuesday, October 23 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday, October 27 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) and will air Saturdays at 10 p.m. for the remainder of its series run.
Click below for a first look at the official “Ready to Love” series trailer:
Comedian Michael Jr. Launches New Stand Up Special In Theaters!
Comedy often teeters on the boundaries of real-life. “Michael Jr.’s MORE THAN FUNNY” is a hilarious new comedy special from the only comedian who’s not trying to get laughs–Michael Jr. “Michael Jr.’s MORE THAN FUNNY” releases in movie theaters nationwide October 18. This one-night event will feature an exclusive introduction and post credit production with never-before-seen comedic segments and hilarious improv moments.
Tickets for “Michael Jr.’s MORE THAN FUNNY” can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.
Filmed before a live audience, “Michael Jr.’s MORE THAN FUNNY” features three real-life stories chosen to inspire and motivate cinema audiences. Through interviews and stand-up comedy, Michael Jr. takes you on a comedic journey in a way you’ve never experienced before. Michael Jr. has spent his career making laughter common in uncommon places like homeless shelters and prisons while inspiring his fans through sketches, stand-up, short films and appearances in feature films including the box office hit “War Room”. He is currently touring the country and has appeared on shows like NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Late, Late Show,” BET’s “ComicView” and “CNN” among others.
Fathom Events will bring “Michael Jr.’s MORE THAN FUNNY” to more than 600 select movie theaters on October 18 at 7:00 p.m. (local time), through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website.
“Fathom is excited to bring Michael Jr.’s wholesome comedy to movie theaters nationwide,” Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said. “His versatile, family-friendly act upholds our commitment to offering unique content that joins communities and families together.”
BET’s ‘Boomerang’ TV Reboot Taps Tequan Richmond, Tetona Jackson As Leads
BET has found the primary cast for its Boomerang reboot from Lena Waithe and Halle Berry.
Tequan Richmond of Everybody Hates Chris fame will be the male lead alongside relative newcomer Tetona Jackson, who will be the female lead. Leland D. Martin and social media star Lala Milan will also be series regulars.
Initially developed as a reboot of the 1992 film starring Eddie Murphy, Berry and Robin Givens, it is now described as a sequel in the form of a series. The description: The series will follow the lives of Jacqueline Boyer’s (Givens) son and Marcus (Murphy) and Angela Graham’s (Berry) daughter as they attempt to step out of their parents’ shadows and make a legacy of their own.
Here are their official character descriptions per BET:
Richmond’s character is Bryson. Described as “resourceful, tough and charming. Raised by a single mother, he’s self-assured and doesn’t hide his vulnerability. Every bit as driven as Simone, Bryson wants to make his mark on this world.”
Jackson’s character is Simone. Described as “privileged, beautiful, cool and driven to a fault. She has an easy confidence that she inherited from her father, but a down-to-earth, chill vibe, which she inherited from her mother. The shadow of both her parents looms large, and she is eager to step out of it and make a name for herself.”
Martin’s character is Ari. Described as “a digital producer with big dreams. He is handsome, charming, effortlessly confident and has an edge and swagger that is completely disarming. Ari doesn’t believe in labels. He’s an equal opportunist when it comes to dating.
Milan’s character is Tia. Described as “a misguided performance artist with high ambitions. She is a classically trained dancer who wants to topple the patriarchy. She’s charismatic and wildly unique. Tia is an activist at heart, but she doesn’t mind being a little ratchet every now and then.
Waithe and Berry are executive producers. Waithe wrote the pilot with Ben Cory Jones (Insecure, Underground), and Dime Davis will direct the pilot. Jones is an EP and the showrunner.
The series is expected to debut in 2019.
Richmond has kept busy since Everybody Hates Chris, starring in the soap opera General Hospital since 2012, where he has been nominated for Outstanding Younger Actor in Drama Series three times. He also starred in the D.C. sniper saga film Blue Caprice, which bowed at Sundance, as well as the Hulu series All Night. Jackson also starred in All Night.
Source: Shadow & Act
‘How High 2’: Stoner Comedy Sequel Adds NeNe Leakes, DeRay Davis And DC Young Fly
Big news on the How High front: How High 2, the sequel to the 2001 pot-laced comedy originally starring Method Man and Redman has added NeNe Leakes and Wild N’ Out comedian and Almost Christmas star DC Young Fly to the cast. The sequel will star rapper Lil Yachty, who was already attached to the film, and DC Young Fly in the lead roles of Roger and Calvin, respectively.
Leakes posted pictures of her with Lil Yachty and comedian Deray Davis on Instagram:
The sequel focuses on Roger and Calvin, two friends who try to trek through Atlanta to find their missing weed. Leakes plays Calvin’s aunt. DeRay Davis is also a part of the cast as Leakes’ character’s boyfriend. How High 2 will premiere on MTV next year.
Source: Shadow And Act
‘The Upside’: Long-Gestating Kevin Hart And Bryan Cranston Film Finally Gets A Trailer
Kevin Hart rarely gets a chance to flex his more dramatic muscles, but he’s getting the chance in the dramedy film The Upsideopposite Bryan Cranston. The trailer for the film, which was completed in 2017, has finally been released, bringing the film’s belabored path to the box office closer to its end.
The film was originally supposed to come to theaters this March. But the film was one of several films pulled from The Weinstein Company’s release schedule due to Harvey Weinstein’s sex scandals. The film is now backed by STX Entertainment.
The Upside is a remake of French film The Intouchables, originally starring Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet. The film is based on a real life story of the friendship between an aristocrat and his caregiver, a man from the inner city.
The trailer shows a more subdued Hart, similar to what we saw in the remake of About Last Night. Like in this trailer, Hart was still funny in About Last Night, but he was able to get serious and, in a unique turn, was able to showcase a wider range than what his usually comedies allow for. Hopefully The Upside will give us yet another rare moment of depth from Hart’s acting.
The Upside also stars Aja Naomi King, Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies, and Jahi Winston. The film will finally come to theaters Jan. 11, 2019.
Fox’s Lethal Weapon may look considerably different if the rebooted third season earns a back-nine episodes.
Star Damon Wayans on Wednesday announced that he plans to leave the Fox reboot in December, after the third season’s original 13-episode order wraps production.
“I am going to be quitting the show in December, after we finish the initial 13. So, I really don’t know what they’re planning but that’s what I’m planning,” Wayans told Electronic Urban Report. “I’m a 58-year-old diabetic and I’m working 16-hour days,” Wayans said, noting he’s that “done” with the series. (Watch the interview, below.)
Having fired beleaguered star Clayne Crawford and cast Seann William Scott as the male lead opposite original leading man Wayans, Fox renewed Lethal Weapon for a 13-episode third season to see if the retooled procedural can continue to connect with viewers. It’s unclear if the network plans to pick the series up for additional episodes beyond the initial 13, so there may not be a Lethal Weapon for Wayans to return to. Lethal Weapon producers Warner Bros. TV declined comment.
In the interview, Wayans says he plans to return to the stage and to “try and find my smile again,” though he did not provide additional details. “It’s hard for me to play this loving, supportive father, husband, friend on TV, and be the guy in life that is telling everyone, ‘I can’t, I have to work,'” the actor said in the interview after revealing that his mother and daughter recently underwent surgery and he was unable to be there due to production on Lethal Weapon. “You have to look yourself in the eye and go, ‘Who are you?’ It can’t all be about work. I’m from a big family, a loving family. I haven’t seen them. All the family gatherings, I’m too tired or I can’t because it conflicts with work. … I have seven grandkids. I’ve been missing recitals and graduations. To me, it’s just not worth it. There is a better way to live life.”
In an August interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wayans said he was having more fun on season three of Lethal Weapon, which fired Crawford following multiple on-set altercations and friction with Wayans. “It’s a lot looser. Nobody is overthinking; we’re just doing and we’re having fun trying to get home,” he said.
For his part, fired star Crawford, in an expletive-riddled podcast, admitted that he believed the initial story about his bad behavior on set — which was published the day he started directing his first episode — would eventually blow over. Crawford explained — multiple times — that he and co-star Wayans never wanted to do Lethal Weapon and that both had issues with one another. Crawford also noted that he felt the studio set him up to fail by allowing him to direct. Crawford also challenged multiple press reports about his behavior — as well as many of Wayans’ tweets about the drama on set — while claiming he was being blackmailed to keep quiet about his issues with his co-star and the overall production as many people on set had audio tapes of him screaming at a first assistant director (who quit that day).
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Showtime Announces Release Date Of Lebron James’ ‘Shut Up And Dribble’!
SHOWTIME has announced the airdate for its upcoming docu-series SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE, with the first episode premiering on Saturday, November 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME on-air, streaming and on demand. The remaining two episodes will continue at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, November 10 and Saturday, November 17. Narrated by acclaimed sports journalist and commentator Jemele Hill, the three-part documentary series is a powerful inside look at the changing role of NBA athletes through the lens of our shifting cultural and political environment. Hill is among one of the many luminaries featured in the documentary that includes former NBA players, executives, sports journalists and pop-culture icons. SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE is directed by Gotham Chopra and executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Chopra. To watch and share a first look from the docu-series, go to: https://s.sho.com/2OsUXt2.
One of the most influential voices in sports media, Hill was most recently the chief correspondent and senior columnist for The Undefeated, ESPN’s feature content site that explores intersections of sports, race and culture. She is a multiplatform journalist who has contributed to a number of ESPN programs throughout her career, including SportsCenter, E:60, Outside The Lines,Around the Horn and Highly Questionable. Offering insightful opinion and commentary on issues both in and out of the sports arena, Hill in 2016 participated in The President and the People: A National Conversation – a one-hour town hall with President Barack Obama on race relations, justice, policing and equality. She has been a national columnist since 2005 when she began at the Orlando Sentinel, the only African-American female sports columnist at a daily newspaper in the U.S. at that time.
SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE takes its title from conservative pundit Laura Ingraham’s remarks directed at LeBron James in February after players from the Golden State Warriors declined an invitation to the White House following the 2018 NBA Finals. The controversy serves as a prologue to the series as it chronicles the modern history of the NBA and its players, including the 1976 merger of the freewheeling ABA and the more conventional NBA. The league soon became an incubator for many of its top athletes to grow their brands beyond the court, becoming powerful players in commerce and fashion, and transcending the game to become cultural icons. SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE charts this evolution through the experience of basketball players, who by taking control of their own destinies have helped to bring about social change and use their platform for a broader purpose.
SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE is a presentation of SHOWTIME Sports Documentary Films and a Religion of Sports/Dirty Robber production in association withSpringHill Entertainment and Warner Horizon Unscripted & Alternative Television. The series is executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Gotham Chopra, Rich Paul, Martin Desmond Roe, Chris Uetwiller and Datari Turner.
