Month: April 2021

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle actress Madison Iseman, Ben O’Brien, Caleel Harris and It star Jeremy Ray Taylor have been tapped to star in Sony’s Goosebumps sequel, which Ari Sandel is developing based on one of the multiple iterations of R.L. Stine’s popular book series that have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide.

The studio is currently casting the additional lead role of the mom.

The first installment, starring Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, and Odeya Rush, grossed $150.1 million in worldwide box office.

Rob Lieber wrote the script for Goosebumps 2, which is produced by Neal H. Moritz via his Original Film shingle, along with Silvertongue Films, and Deborah Forte, who was previously with Scholastic Entertainment, which published the books.

Iseman, who just wrapped Robert Tinnell’s indie Feast of the Seven Fishes, is repped by Zero Gravity Management and Paradigm.

Tammy Townsend (K.C. Undercover), Loretta Devine (The Carmichael Show), Tim Reid (Greenleaf) , and Vanessa Bell Calloway (Shameless) have been tapped for recurring roles opposite Will Catlett and Michele Weaver in OWN’s upcoming hourlong dramedy Love Is___, from Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil.

Created and executive produced by the Akils, Love Is ___, is described as a humorous drama about a modern-day power couple balancing successful careers and a beautiful family, and draws inspiration from the Akils’ real-life relationship. In the world of Black Hollywood, they navigate a complex set of social codes, and this series will explore it all, from the good to the bad…to the ‘90s, because that’s where this definitive love story all began.

Townsend will play Carol, the fun, sexy, bohemian mother of Nuri (Michele Weaver). Devine will portray Betty, the sharp-tongued and insightful mother of Yasir (Will Catlett). Reid will play Yasir’s lifelong friend Sean, as seen in the year 2027.

Calloway is Angela in 2027. Angela is Nuri’s lifelong friend and trusted confidante.

Calloway, who played the memorable role of Carol in Shameless, recently wrapped features Unbroken: Path to Redemption and Dragged Across Concrete. She also plays the lead in Bounce TV’s Saints & Sinnersand has directed episodes of the drama.

The Akils executive produce the series through their Akil Productions banner, with Mara Brock Akil serving as showrunner. The series hails from Warner Horizon Scripted Television and stems from the Akils’ big overall deal at Warner Bros.

Jeff Daniels has been cast as Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway-bound adaptation Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The casting reunites The Newsroom’s Emmy-winning actor with its creator, along with Scott Rudin, who will produce the new play with Lincoln Center Theater.

To Kill a Mockingbird will be directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher (Oslo), and begins previews November 1, with an official opening on December 13 at a theater to be announced.

The play has been in the works for at least two years, and the casting of Daniels was planned from the earliest talks, Rudin has said. More surprising, perhaps, will be the casting of adults in the iconic roles of the story’s children.

Playing Scout, for example, will be Celia Keenan-Bolger, who was Tony-nominated for her portrayal of Laura in the 2014 Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie. Will Pullen, known to TV audiences for his role of Todd in The Americans, will play Jem.

Daniels steps into a role as closely associated with one actor – Gregory Peck – as any outside A Streetcar Named Desire. Filling out the other iconic roles will be Gideon Glick (Dill), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Calpurnia), Dakin Matthews (Judge Taylor), Stark Sands (prosecutor Horace Gilmer), Frederick Weller and Erin Wilhelmi (Bob Ewell and his daughter Mayella Ewell), and Gbenga Akinnagbe (Tom Robinson).

Also in the cast: Stephen McKinley Henderson, Phyllis Somerville and Liv Rooth.

Casting of the Boo Radley character has not been announced. The reclusive Boo was played by a young Robert Duvall in the 1962 film version.

To Kill a Mockingbird will feature scenic design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, sound design by Scott Lehrer, and an original score by Adam Guettel. Casting is by Daniel Swee.

In a statement, Rudin said, “We just finished two full labs of Aaron’s play, both directed by Bart, and both with this entire cast. It’s an extraordinarily rare occurrence that you can build a play on the people who will ultimately be in it, but that is what we were lucky enough to do.”

Rudin’s production of Sorkin’s new play has been in the works for a couple of years, with Rudin telling The New York Times in 2016 that the play’s Atticus is most definitely the character from Mockingbird, and not the racist of Lee’s posthumously published “sequel” Go Set A Watchman.

The prolific actor, director, producer and writer is headed north to test his mettle in Hollywood.

Selton Mello, one of Brazil’s most marketable talents both behind and in front of the camera, is making his U.S. directorial debut with the upcoming musically charged drama “Cathedral City.”

Mello made his name on screen in Brazil in films like “Lisbela and the Prisoner” and “To the Left of the Father,” and then moved into writing, directing and producing his own projects. His second directorial feature, “The Clown,” Brazil’s Oscar submission, earned one of highest grosses for an art film in recent years in Brazil. His third directorial outing, the well-reviewed “The Movie of My Life,” starred “Black Swan’s” Vincent Cassel.

His U.S. debut will be behind the camera, for a story he says he fell in love with on his first read, more than four years ago. “Cathedral City,” penned by John Newman is about a musician who discovers his late father’s secret life. It will be produced by Paul Schiff and his company Paul Schiff Productions, and Tai Duncan at Zero Gravity, the company behind Netflix originals “Ozark” and “Beasts of No Nation.”

As an actor, Mello is also starring in the upcoming Netflix series “The Mechanism,” from “Narcos” creator José Padilha. Mello plays retired federal police deputy Marco Ruffo in a fictional drama loosely based on the investigation of allegations of major political corruption involving state and privately owned oil and construction companies in Brazil.

The series is produced by Padilha’s award-winning Zazen Productions. The company previously produced one of Brazil’s record holders in ticket sales and revenues, “Elite Squad.”

Mello’s film “Soundtrack,” which also features “City of God” alum Seu Jorge and Ralph Ineson from “The Witch,” will screen at Guadalajara, Panama and the Brazilian Film Festival of Paris. “The Mechanism” premieres on Netflix worldwide on March 23; work on “Cathedral City” is underway.

In addition to the announcement of “Cathedral City,” Mello also talked with Variety about working with Netflix, making the move to Hollywood, and how he fits it all into 24-hour days.

Ernie Hudson (Grace & Frankie) has been tapped to co-star opposite Gabrielle Unionin NBC’s untitled Bad Boys spinoff drama pilot.

The project, from Bad Boys movies’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Doug Belgrad, Primary Wave Entertainment and Sony Pictures TV, centers on the Special Agent Syd Burnett character played by Union in 2003’s Bad Boys II. Last seen in Miami taking down a drug cartel, she is making a cross-country move from Miami to Los Angeles.

In the NBC pilot, written by The Blacklist writers-producers Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier, the free-spirited former DEA agent Burnett has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective. She’s partnered with Nancy McKenna, a working mom who can’t help but look at Syd’s freedom with some grass-is-greener envy. These two have totally different lifestyles and approaches, but they both are at the top of their fields in this action-packed, character-driven procedural.

Hudson will play Joseph Burnett, Union’s father.

Hudson rose to fame as one of the stars of the hit 1984 Sony comedy feature Ghostbusters and also appeared in the 2016 reboot, the last film overseen by Belgrad at Sony Pictures before he segued from his top executive post to producing.

Hudson, who recurs as Frankie’s (Lily Tomlin) love interest on Netflix’s hit comedy series Grace & Frankie, is repped by APA and Zero Gravity Management.

by Tim Gordon:

The annual film festival kick-off of the New Year, The Sundance Film Festival, will conclude this week amidst the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah. Our staff had the opportunity to see over 30 of the films premiering at the festival and will spotlight our Top Ten Gems that left audiences buzzing.

Unlike previous years, this year’s slate of films including no star-studded “must-see” highly-anticipated fare. Films such as Mudbound, The Big Sick, Brooklyn, The Birth of A Nation and plenty of others have provided Park City audiences with electric moments. The absence of Harvey Weinstein’s dealmaking, as well as the lack of activity from the major screening services, such as Netflix, has produced a solid festival where the entire slate of films are all on equal footing. Despite the lack of major films and storylines, below is the list of films that thrilled us and perhaps may make some noise later this year.

Mr. Gordon’s “A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.” review excerpted below.

A Boy, A Girl, A Dream

Writer-director Qasim Basir’s third film focuses on a young couple, Cass (Omari Hardwick) and Frida (Megan Good) whose paths cross outside of a nightclub on the night of the 2016 election. Over the course of 90-minutes (edited to look like one tracking shot), we follow their journey from interested friends to the dawn of a new relationship. Each displaying tenderness and vulnerability, we witness their emotional walls slowly coming down as they open up and begin to trust each other. Hardwick and Good are mesmerizing and electric in this wildly romantic, keenly observant and blissfully hopeful romantic drama. Basir’s simple yet heart-warming story is a film that we don’t see often enough but during these turbulent and confusing times, it’s one we need – one filled with hope.

Lolita Davidovich (Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders) is set for a recurring role on ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder.

As is the case with all Shondaland series, details about Davidovich’s role or the storyline are not being revealed, but her character will be introduced in the back half of the season.

This season of the Viola Davis-led series has seen Davis’ Annalise Keating putting the pieces back together after losing her beloved Wes “Waitlist” Gibbons (Alfred Enoch) and the students struggling to move on with their lives.

Davidovich most recently played Kitty Menendez in NBC’s Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Her previous credits include recurring roles on Shades Of Blue, Blood & Oil and True Detective. Her film work includes The Longest Ride, Leap of Faith and Gods and Monsters, among others. Davidovich is repped by Zero Gravity Management.

Created by Peter Nowalk, How to Get Away with Murder airs Thursdays as part of ABC’s Shondaland TGIT lineup.

There is another British royal wedding coming and another Lifetime TV movie on the way about the romance that led to it.

The cable network is prepping Harry & Meghan: The Royal Love Story, a film that chronicles the relationship between Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, who announced their engagement in November. The project was mentioned briefly Sunday by Lifetime head of programming Liz Gateley during the cable network’s portion of TCA.

Harry & Meghan chronicles the courtship and love story between a beloved prince and his new fiancée. The film will examine the history of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the moment they met after being set up by friends, through their initial courtship when they were able to keep their romance under wraps, and ultimately the intense global media attention surrounding their relationship and Meghan’s life as a divorced American actress.

The movie is currently casting. There is no premiere date set yet but Lifetime aired predecessor William & Kate: The Movie, about the romance between Prince Harry’s older brother, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, 11 days before their Royal wedding. The nuptials between Prince Harry and Los Angeles native Markle are set for May 19, so an early May premiere date would appear fitting.

Menhaj Huda (The Royals) is directing Harry & Meghan, which is currently casting, from a script by Scarlett Lacey. Merideth Finn and Michele Weiss (Flowers In the Attic) executive produce.

Prince Harry and Suits star Markle met in July 2016, embarking on a worldwide romance that spanned Harry’s native country, Great Britain, Canada, where Markle filmed Suits, and Africa.

Huda is repped by Zero Gravity Management and Gersh. Lacey is with Verve and Lichter Grossman.

Andy Allo has been cast as the female lead opposite Robbie Amell in Upload,Amazon’s high-concept single-camera comedy pilot from The Office creator Greg Daniels.

Upload is set in the future where humans are able to “upload” themselves into their preferred choice of afterlife. When Nathan (Amell) meets his early death, he is greeted by Nora (Allo) in his version of heaven. The series follows the two as Nathan grows accustomed to life away from his loved ones, and the alive Nora struggles to stay afloat working her job alongside Nathan in the afterlife.

Allo’s Nora is a spirited modern girl with a rebellious streak. Nora is juggling a sick dad and demanding job, but surviving in big city NYC. Her bruised heart secretly yearns for romance in a world of transactional uber-tinder relationships.

Allo can currently be seen in Pitch Perfect 3 and The Hero, starring Sam Elliott. She’s repped by ICM Partners and managed by Zero Gravity Management.

The organization Playing For Change offers a new video/global recording, a cover of R&B icon Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” that was started back in 2005. Following the Playing For Change paradigm, the piece features musicians recorded around the world including the late Roger Ridley, his sister Alice Tan Ridley, and PFC regular Grandpa Elliott.

Mike Ragogna: Mark, overall, how is Playing For Change doing?

Mark Johnson: Playing For Change is doing great as we are about to release a new Songs Around The World video every month for the next year and launch our upcoming Listen to the Music video series and new album. The PFC Band and the PFC Foundation are celebrating their 10-year anniversary and we are looking forward to continuing to connect the world through music.

MR: Mark, Playing For Change’s latest video, a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” is the last to feature the late Roger Ridley and Grandpa Elliott together. They first appeared on the organization’s video hit “Stand By Me” that, to date, has accumulated over 122 million views. First of all, it must be a little bittersweet presenting this video after Roger Ridley’s passing and did he ever get to see a final cut?

MJ: Roger Ridley was able to see the final version of “Stand By Me” Around The World but he never saw “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay” nor “Bring It On Home To Me” Around The World. I remember asking him during the recording, “With a voice like yours, you sound like Otis Redding, why are you singing on the street?” He replied, “Man, I’m in the joy business, I come out to be with the people.”

These songs are a tribute to talented street performers everywhere who bring joy to everyone and anyone who passes them by.

MR: Can you spend a second offering a story or two about Roger before we get back to “Bring It On Home To Me”?

MJ: Shortly after Roger passed away, I received an emotional call from his widow, Ernestine, in tears, thanking us for the “Stand By Me” video. I had given Roger a DVD with the final video and apparently he had not yet shared it with his wife. She was in mourning and one day, she accidentally turned on the DVD player and the “Stand By Me” video began to play. The first thirty seconds or so of the video are just Roger playing by himself in Santa Monica and then, all of a sudden, musicians start to be added to the track around the world. She was so amazed and thankful that Roger would be remembered for this video and for his music and voice reaching the entire world. The day she called me was one of the proudest days of my life and it’s an honor to be able to contribute to the legacy of a man and a musician who gave so much to so many of us.

MR: Your new video—actually started in 2005 in Santa Monica—features performances by seventeen musicians from all over the world. Is there a story and timeline you can recount from gestation to its final release?

MJ: This was an interesting song because it evolved so much since the original recoding in 2005. I wanted to reunite Roger Ridley with Grandpa Elliott like the “Stand My Me” video but we wanted to surround them with some of the greatest musicians in the world. We reached out to legendary drummer, James Gadson [Bill Withers, Beck, Marvin Gaye] and bass player Reggie McBride [Stevie Wonder, Etta James] to be the rhythm section for the Song Around The World to give it the best groove possible. We then contacted our friend, Federico Ferrandina, an Italian composer, to write string and horn parts for “Bring It On Home To Me.” The crew and I headed to Matera, Italy and the streets of Havana, Cuba, to record and film strings and horns for the video and then approached the amazing Karl Denson to play the saxophone solo. Once we had these pieces in place, we had to find one last singer for the video. One day a few years ago, I received a call from Ernestine Ridley letting me know that Roger had a sister named Alice who lived in NYC and she was interested in contacting Playing For Change. I then received a link to hear her sing on “America’s Got Talent.” I fell off my chair as she sounded like a female version of her brother! The crew and I flew to NYC to film and record Alice Tan Ridley in Central Park and added the final piece to the puzzle. Brother and sister singing together in a split screen, “…until I’m dead and buried in my grave,” gives me chills. It’s amazing to be reuniting Roger and Alice for one more song.

MR: Is there a permanent or slightly rotating roster of the PFC Band? Please can you go into how it formed, grew, and what is the function of that body of artists beyond recording music and videos?

MJ: The PFC Band features eleven musicians from ten different countries and many of them we met while creating our Song Around The World videos. In the beginning the band was formed to show the tangible idea of Playing For Change live on stage right in front of you. All these different artists in the band from all these different countries all had their own careers and talents and they decided to merge them into something bigger than themselves. They are the PFC Ambassadors and when they tour they also visit children’s hospitals and homeless shelters to remind us music is much more than just entertainment. We usually tour with the same core group of musicians and then invite local artists to join us on stage as we tour the world. To us, world music is when the world plays music together. All the different cultures, languages, and identities make the music and the live concerts stronger.

MR: Roger’s sister Alice Tan Ridley also appears in the video. Her having been associated with America’s Got Talent and being the mother of Gabourey Sidibe, the star of the series Precious, how was her contribution treated in the video, especially considering the delicateness of her appearing with her late brother?

MJ: I could not have dreamed of a better voice to complete this song and this final PFC video with Roger Ridley than his sister Alice. They both have so much soul and their singing comes from a deep place. I really feel like it was destiny to wait so long to finish this video so we could wait to meet Alice Tan Ridley and reunite her with her brother Roger. Some dreams do come true.

MR: Sax player Karl Denson also is featured. How did that come together?

MJ: I have been a fan of Karl Denson for many years and once we were ready to add the solo to the song, we decided to reach out to his manager, Erik Newson, and give it a shot. We heard back that Karl was interested and then we met him in Jackson Square, New Orleans, to record and film the solo.

MR: Are there any other gems like this hiding in the Playing For Change vaults? Is there any more musical footage by Roger Ridley in existence? Any shot that non-musical footage might make its way into future videos?

MJ: Fortunately, since we started, we have recorded and filmed music in about 50 different countries and so our archive is full of gems and unreleased performances. This is the final Playing For Change video featuring the late, great, Roger Ridley.

MR: From a technical perspective, how has Playing For Change’s international recording process evolved since the early days? Has the mission behind these videos and audio releases evolved as well?

MJ: When Whitney Kroenke and I first started Playing For Change I was also working in the studio with two of my friends and mentors, Jackson Browne and Keb’ Mo’. Each one of them offered some wisdom that has guided our recording process ever since.

Jackson said, “Some of the best music happens right before you learn it…” This concept opened us up to making Songs Around The World live and in the moment by capturing that first performance when a musician hears the song and then plays their instrument from instinct and from their heart.

Keb’ Mo’ said, “Sound is a feeling first, if it feels good it will always sound good.” I’ve always loved this perspective of making music where you provide a positive recording/filming environment along with good microphones and nice headphones so the musicians feel better and play better and everything sounds better as well.

One interesting thing that is unique to recording Songs Around The World is that people tend to listen more and play less than I experienced in the studio. The musicians know the song will eventually have lots of performers playing together and they are a part of something bigger than themselves. This reality offers the musicians a chance to really focus on how they can contribute to whole song and find a part to make it better.

I have used the very same microphones and microphone preamps since we started in 2001. The difference in our recording process is how we power our mobile studio. We started with golf cart batteries to power everything, and then car batteries and now we use smaller lithium batteries so we can go anywhere and multi-track record music around the world.

MR: Now that Playing For Change has become a formidable musical institution, where do you see it heading in the future and will its mission change further?

MJ: Everything we do with Playing For Change is born out of the idea that no matter how many things in life divide us, they will never be as strong as the power of music to bring us together. In music as in life, the things that make us different make us stronger. We create Songs Around The World to re-connect us to our shared humanity. The PFC Band tours the world as the tangible example of the world coming together through music and the PFC Foundation is the way we leave the world better than we found it, one school, one heart, and one song at a time.

MR: What kind of success is the PFC Band and the PFC Foundation’s building music and art schools internationally having?

MJ: This is where the magic happens. The PFC Foundation and the PFC Band are celebrating their ten-year anniversary as the band was formed to help fundraise for the building of our very first PFC Foundation music program back in 2008. We now support fifteen music and art programs around the world and we work to connect our programs together with each other so children from different cultures can learn about the world around them through the lens of music and art. The PFC Band just finished touring in Japan and performing at the DirectTV Arena in Argentina and are getting ready for more shows around the world in 2018.

MR: Mark, what advice do you have for new artists?

MJ: You have to show up and put in the time and learn from your experiences in life so you can evolve and grow as an artist. I was given a Tibetan coin from my brother many years ago and the text on the coin translates to “Supreme success through perseverance.” That’s my advise to anybody who wants to follow their dreams.

MR: What does the future bring for all things Playing For Change?

MJ: We are about to release our new video series and album titled, Listen To The Musicincluding twelve new Songs Around The World featuring over 200 musicians from 25 countries. All the music was recorded and filmed live on location. Some of the musicians involved in the new videos are Buddy Guy, members of The Doobie Brothers, Dr. John, Jack Johnson, Paula Fuga, Warren Haynes, and John Densmore. We have been working on this new video project for the past 5 years and we cannot wait to share it with everyone so we can continue to grow the PFC Movement and connect the world through music.