Month: April 2021

Madison Lawlor has been cast as the lead of Juicy Stories, E!’s hourlong dramedy pilot inspired by Juicy Couture founders Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, from Sex and the City alums Michael Patrick King and Amy B. Harris, Warner Horizon Scripted TV and Universal Cable Productions.

Juicy Stories is the story of how two women in their 20s created the iconic “Juicy” tracksuit and turned their $200 investment into a billion-dollar business — and a life-long friendship. Inspired by the lives of Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, Juicy Stories tells the tale of two women who made clothes, made mistakes, made babies — and made one of the most iconic brands of the 1990s, Juicy Couture. These “Juicy Stories” — both aspirational and sensational — flash back to Los Angeles in the 1990s and are narrated on camera and in the present by the real Pam (Lawfor) and Gela, still business partners and best friends.

Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor met while working together at a Los Angeles boutique and became friends, setting up shop in Gela’s one-bedroom Hollywood apartment. The initial $200 investment led to a a $50 million sale of the duo’s casual wear company to Liz Claiborne. Juicy Stories, inspired by the memoir The Glitter Plan, by Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor, is produced by Michael Patrick King Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television and Universal Cable Productions. King and Harris will serve as executive producers; Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor as producers.

Lawlor’s Pam is effervescent, warm, with a powerful creative streak and a unique sense of herself and her talent. Pam begins Juicy Couture with her new friend Gela and before long, they are working their butts off to succeed.

Lawlor just wrapped female lead in the indie Unbound and currently stars in Lionsgate’s The Honor List. She is repped by Zero Gravity Management and Robin Nassif at Media Artists Group.

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” star Madison Iseman is set to star in the coming-of-age teen comedy “This is the Year,” Variety has learned exclusively.

David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) is directing the film and wrote the screenplay with Bug Hall, Pepe Portillo and Sienna Aqualini. The story centers on a nebbishy high schooler who makes a last-ditch effort to win over the girl of his dreams, played by Iseman, by embarking on a road trip to attend the greatest music festival of the year, only to discover true love in the most unexpected place.

Andrea Iervolino is producing the film through both his film label Ambi Media Group, with partner Monika Bacardi, as well as through TaTaTu, the new blockchain-based social entertainment platform he founded. James Henrie and Leo Severino are producing for Novo Media Group. Executive producers are Jason Weinberg and Luca Riemma

“I’m so stoked to have Madison on board at such an exciting time in her career,” said David Henrie. “Madison has the ability to give a deeply layered performance which is the exact quality I was looking for because her character is one that’s dealing with complex emotions stemming from a deep desire to break free from the labels she’s been branded with in high school.”

Iseman played Bethany Walker, as a pretty, self-centered teenager, in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and Jack Black portrayed her avatar. She’s co-starring with Black in the upcoming “Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween.”

Principal photography is slated to begin in September in Alabama. Iseman is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency and Zero Gravity Management.

Michael Galante (Switched at Birth) is set for a recurring role in Good Trouble, Freeform’s The Fosters spinoff. Production has begun in Los Angeles for premiere in 2019. The series follows Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) as they embark on the next phase of their young-adult lives in Los Angeles. Galante will play Bryan. A sexy, gay man, Bryan lives in downtown LA and works as an event planner at the Standard Hotel. Galante is currently recurring on OWN’s The Haves and The Have Nots. He recurred on the last season of Freeform’s Switched At Birth and also has been seen on Will & Grace, Jane The Virgin, Bones and go90’s Relationship Status. He’s repped by Zero Gravity Management and Abrams Artists Agency.

It’s official: Charter Communications has given a 13-episode series order to LA’s Finest, the drama pilot starring Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, and Ernie Hudson from writers Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier, Sony Pictures TV, Jerry Bruckheimer Television and 2.0 Entertainment. It is set to premiere in 2019 exclusively on Charter’s Spectrum as the platform’s first major original series.

Former CSI: NY showrunner Pam Veasey has come on board as executive producer/co-showrunner of the series alongside Margolis and Sonnier.

Sony TV took out the action pilot, a spinoff from the Bad Boys movie franchise, immediately after the project’s original network, NBC, surprisingly passed on it. Charter Communications quickly emerged as a likely potential home, starting talks with Sony TV just days later. With the deal in advanced stages, Sony TV has been selling LA’s Finest internationally.

“Charter has a strong passion for the project, and we could not be more excited,” ” said Jeff Frost, President of Sony Pictures TV. “Immediately we knew this innovative new platform was absolutely the right home for L.A.’s Finest.”

With its title recognition and A-list stars, L.A.’s Finest will be used as a key launching piece in Charter Communications’s recently announced strategy to introduce high-end original content on its Spectrum cable systems. The company signaled its entrance in the original scripted series arena by signing co-production deals with AMC Networks and Viacom and by hiringseasoned TV executive Katherine Pope to lead its original content efforts by securing rights on a cost-effective basis. Charter already produces programming via its regional sports networks and its exclusive Spectrum News services.

“Charter is excited to partner with top producers Sony, Bruckheimer and the rest of the incredible team behind and in front of the camera on our first Spectrum Original Content endeavor,” said Pope. “Our content partnerships offer us a great opportunity to provide Spectrum customers with the dynamic, authentic and unique programming that drives value for their Spectrum subscription.”

Charter, which counts savvy billionaire John Malone as a key stakeholder, is among many cable operators looking to provide content that can stem the tide of cord-cutters ending their pay-TV subscriptions.

With elaborate action sequences, LA’s Finest was one of the highest-profile and most expensive pilots this season, with its budget said to be around $12 million. It is based upon the character Syd Burnett, originally created for Bad Boys II by Marianne and Cormac Wibberley and Ron Shelton and played by Union in the 2003 movie.

The series follows Burnett (Union), who last was seen in Miami taking down a drug cartel. She now has left her complicated past behind to become an LAPD detective. Paired with a new partner, Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom with an equally complex past, Burnett is pushed to examine whether her unapologetic lifestyle might be masking a greater personal secret. These two women don’t agree on much, but they find common ground when it comes to taking on the most dangerous criminals in Los Angeles.

Union and Alba executive produce alongside Margolis, Sonnier, Veasey — who is reuniting with CSI producer JBTV — 2.0’s Doug Belgrad, JBTV’s Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed, and Primary Wave’s Jeff Gaspin and Jeff Morrone. Anton Cropper directed the pilot and is executive producer.

Cole Sibus is a performer who was born with Down syndrome. He is also unstoppable. In 2014, he competed in the National Special Olympics at Princeton University and took home three medals, including the gold. He regularly water skis, plays softball, strums the guitar and hosts his own self-produced You Tube channel cooking show with his older sister Lauren.

If that’s not enough, Sibus was featured on two seasons in A&E’s Born This Way and recently began training with the goal to become the first Calvin Klein underwear model with Down syndrome. As he recently turned 21, his birthday wish was to meet Luke Bryan.

What juices him most? His role in the new film Spare Room, in which he stars with Skyler Samuels (The Gifted, Scream Queens) as they play brother and sister coping on their own. Sibus plays Arrow, a Johnny Cash-loving teen with Down syndrome. He really hopes to get the girl. His sister, whose husband died while serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan, is trying to keep the family together.

In fact, the role of Arrow was the most important puzzle piece to bring the story to life. “We didn’t want to find an actor who could play someone with Down syndrome,” says Spare Room’s writer and producer Laura Heine. “Cole more than delivered. His charisma and natural instincts steal the film, in a performance that has never before been seen on screen.” To find Cole, superstar casting directors Mary Vernieu and Raylin Sabo of Betty Mae Casting launched a national search. Vernieu also produced the film.

The tricky part was finding the perfect boy who looked the right age, resembled Samuels and most importantly could handle the material and pace of the shoot. But director Jenica Bergere wasn’t daunted by the challenge. Always game, she wrote, starred in and made her directorial debut in Come Simi now on Hulu. Not only did the film win awards, it was made for an unheard of $10,000. It even featured her daughter’s live birth in a scene on camera. So Bergere knows how to multitask.

Spare Room had a $300,000 budget, considered tiny in Hollywood. The breakneck and unbelievably brisk 10-day shooting schedule left no room for error. To prepare, Sibus worked with Bergere and his co-star Samuels for several days before principal photography. Their aim was to cultivate the brother/sister relationship. “That was key for the believability of the film,” said Samuels about Sibus. “The first day we met Cole hugged me and said “I’m Cole. I want to be in this movie with you!” They instantly bonded and have stayed in close touch since filming.

Veteran producer, James Portolese, who has produced over 45 films (including All Stars and Beast of Burden) was nervous about how demanding the schedule would be. He was especially concerned about placing too much pressure on Sibus. But he shouldn’t have worried. “I ended up being astounded by Cole’s professionalism and ability to improvise. He worked so hard to master the material and was also able to improvise and preserve the intent of a scene if the words escaped him,” says Portolese. “At the end of the day, Arrow is the heart of the film, and Cole was the heart of our set,” adds Bergere. “He is nothing short of a breakout star!”

Will Beinbrink has landed a supporting roles in New Line Cinema’s IT Chapter Two for director Andy Muschietti, who helmed the original. The sequel portrays the kids — members of the Losers’ Club, who were tormented by Pennywise — as adults. James McAvoy plays Bill, Bill Hader is Richie, Jessica Chastain is Beverly, James Ransone is Eddie, Andy Bean is Stanley, Jay Ryan is Ben and Isaiah Mustafa is Mike. Bill Skarsgard returns as Pennywise.

Beinbrink will play Tom Rogan who was Beverly’s abusive husband in the book and the 1990s miniseries.

Barbara Muschietti, Roy Lee and Dan Lin return as producers. The screenplay is written by Gary Dauberman.

Contrary to speculation that the film had begun production — based on an image McAvoy posted on his Instagram account — filming on IT Chapter Two is slated to begin next month. Warner Bros will release the film in theaters on September 6, 2019. Last year’s IT grossed $327.5 domestically and $700 million worldwide.

Beinbrink’s casting reunites him with McAvoy, Hader, and Chastain, all of whom Beinbrink worked with on Ned Benson’s three-part film, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. He was also a member of Crew 32 at Juilliard alongside Chastain. Beinbrink’s recent film credits include Free State of Jones and I Saw the Light.

Charlie Matthau and Denise O’Dell have optioned rights to Juste De Nin’s Spanish-language graphic novel Garbo: The Spy Who Fooled Hitler, which is set to become the latest directorial vehicle for Matthau.

The film will be produced under the name Bodyguard of Lies, and tells the incredible true story of Juan Pujol Garcia, a failed Spanish chicken farmer who, incredibly, became one of the greatest, if not the most successful, spies of World War II, whose deceptive work saved what is estimated at about 14 million lives. Reuben Sack, Justin Parker, Bradley McManus and Matthau are writing the screenplay, with plans to film on location in Lisbon, Madrid and London. It will be a co-production between O’Dell’s Babieka Films and The Matthau Company.

At the recent Cannes Film Festival where they were seeking further financing for the project, Matthau said he was seeking a comedic actor for the title role, someone like a young Peter Sellers. It’s a wild role to be sure: Pujol deliberately became a double agent against Nazi Germany during the war and moved to England to carry out a number of fictional spying jobs for the Nazis, going by his British code name Garbo and German code name Alaric Arabel.

Initially he attempted to become a spy for the Americans and Brits, but neither was impressed by this chicken farmer. Nevertheless, he created an altar-ego as a pro Nazi Spanish Government official and weaseled his way into becoming a German agent instructed to travel to Britain to recruit other agents. Instead, he set up his bogus operations in Lisbon where he created numerous false reports and invented sub-agents that could later be blamed for false information. He finally won the trust of the Allies when they noticed the Germans were spending considerable time and money to hunt down a fictional convoy. He spent the rest of the war creating and expanding his fictional network and fooling the Germans every step of the way.

As it turned out, the Nazi regime wound up funding 27 completely non-existent “agents.” Among his triumphs was having a key role in the success of Operation Fortitude, which was designed to mislead the Germans about the planned invasion of Normandy on D-Day 1944.

Matthau, son of Oscar-winning actor Walter Matthau, has previously directed the well-received indie The Grass Harp, with other directorial credits including Doin’ Time On Planet Earth, 2012’s Freaky Deaky, and The Book of Leah starring Armand Assante which is currently in postproduction. Early in his career he directed a couple of TV films, The Marriage Fool and Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love which both starred his father.

O’Dell has worked on more than 30 films in various producing capacities including for Ridley Scott on Kingdom of Heaven, The Counselor, and Exodus: Of Gods and Kings as well as most recently on the 2017 Christian Bale starrer The Promise on which she was an executive producer.

Amy Pascal and her Pascal Pictures pre-emptively picked up the sci-fi thriller spec Envoy from screenwriter Kat Wood. The character-driven piece is said to be in the vein of Arrival and The Day The Earth Stood Still and is about an elite military intelligence specialist who jumps at the chance to take part in the selection process to become the first-ever human representative to alien life. The project was brought into Pascal Pictures by Eric Fineman.

This adds yet another project to Pascal’s coffers. Since leaving her post as chair of Sony, she has been producing and acquiring a number of projects. She is currently in development at Amazon on Mercury 13, which is being developed as a mini-series at Amazon and based on the Martha Ackmann book The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight. She is in collaboration with Bradley Whitford, Adena Chawke, and Tim and Trevor White’s Star Thrower Entertainment.

She also produced two pics, The Post and Molly’s Game, which are in contention for Oscar this year.

Wood first produced film Mr. Bojagi won the Best Short Film Award at the London Independent Film Festival. As a screenwriter, her first produced feature film, Arthur & Merlin which was released in the UK and U.S. on DVD/VOD in 2015. She also wrote and directed the short film Home which starred Maggie Gyllenhaal and was produced by Dana Brunetti and became the first UK winner of the Jameson First Shot Competition. That prompted Creative England to fund a proof of concept short film for one of these projects, Stine which Wood directed this past September; it stars Tuppence Middleton and currently in post-production.

She is repped by Verve, Zero Gravity Management and Eric Feig Ent & Media Law.

Gossett Jr. is currently working on several projects, including a documentary on Muhammad Ali’s comeback after a hiatus; On Smoother Dirt, a film about baseball legend Ernie Banks; and feature film The Cuban. He was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for An Officer and a Gentlemanand earned an Emmy for Roots, among other honors.

Written by Damon Lindelof based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic limited comic series, Watchmen is considered a dark satirical and dystopian take on the superhero genre. Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.

Lindelof also executive produces with Nicole Kassell, who directs the pilot, and Tom Spezialy. Watchmen is produced for HBO by White Rabbit in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Gossett Jr. is repped by Zero Gravity Management

Sofia Pernas (The Brave) is set as the female lead in Blood & Treasure, CBS’ hourlong serialized action-adventure series set to premiere in summer 2019.

Pernas had been eyed for the role for awhile, though she only became officially available a week ago when NBC canceled The Brave, on which she was a series regular.

Written by Matthew Federman & Stephen Scaia, Blood & Treasure, which hails from CBS Television Studios, centers on a brilliant antiquities expert, Danny, and a cunning art thief, Lexi (Pernas), who team up to catch a ruthless terrorist who funds his attacks through stolen treasure. As they crisscross the globe hunting their target, they unexpectedly find themselves in the center of a 2,000-year-old battle for the cradle of civilization.

Pernas’ Lexi Vaziri is passionate, adventurous and charming. She rebelled against her upstanding father—an antiquities dealer—and boarding school education to become a world class thief. After his death at the hands of a terrorist, she turns her talents towards a new purpose—using her knowledge of the antiquities underworld to track the terrorist and get revenge no matter what the cost. She joins previously cast Katia Winter, Michael James Shaw and James Callis.

Pernas, who also had a recurring role on CW’s Jane the Virgin, is repped by Ryan Daly at Zero Gravity Management and Innovative Artists.