Stay in the loop on industry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!
Please note that shoot dates are subject to state and county restrictions and may change. Refer to Call Sheet for updates, and keep checking Backstage for the latest news on project development during this time.
“The Girl From Plainville”
A headline-grabbing high school relationship gone wrong has inspired a limited series on Hulu. The streamer has ordered the project, an adaptation of a 2017 Esquire article by Jesse Barron. It covers the true story of a teenage girl who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself via text—Michelle Carter, who goaded Conrad Roy III into following through on his suicidal ideations. After the messages were exposed in the wake of Roy’s death, she was put on trial and convicted for the unprecedented and controversial charge of involuntary manslaughter. Elle Fanning, who will also serve as an executive producer, is signed on to star in the limited series, which will be written by Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus. Laura Rosenthal Casting has yet to name any other actors. Production dates and locations are yet to be announced.
“The Spook Who Sat by the Door”
A story that takes place in the 1970s might not seem so far from current events in a new series adaptation. FX has picked up a pilot based on Sam Greenlee’s 1969 novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door,” which had previously been turned into a 1973 film of the same name. The story follows Dan Freeman, the first Black CIA officer, who gets recruited in the wake of the civil rights movement. But after his training, Freeman becomes a more or less forgotten, tokenized employee due to the agency’s systemic racism. Lee Daniels is executive producing the pilot, which will be written by Leigh Dana Jackson and directed by Gerard McMurray. Billy Hopkins Casting is assembling actors for the project, and production will begin in May in Baltimore.
“The Marsh King’s Daughter”
Based on the Karen Dionne novel of the same name, this feature thriller adaptation will follow a woman with a traumatic past who’s trying to lead a normal life. After escaping imprisonment in the woods at the hands of her father, Helena and her mother are able to live in freedom. But after years of trying to put her past behind her, she learns that her father has escaped from prison and is determined to find her. Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith (“The Revenant”) are writing the screenplay, with Neil Burger directing. Betty Mae has been tapped to cast the project, which has attached Daisy Ridley as Helena. The survival story is set to start filming in June in Canada.
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This story originally appeared in the March 25 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.